ACLU sues Kansas over voter registration rules

WICHITA, Kan. — People trying to register to vote at Kansas motor vehicle offices are being forced to provide documentary proof of citizenship in violation of federal law, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.

The complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., is mounting a new legal challenge based on a provision in the National Voter Registration Act that requires states to provide voter registration in conjunction with drivers’ license applications at state division of motor vehicle offices.

Kansas has been at the forefront of efforts for more stringent registration laws ranging from proof-of-citizenship to requiring certain types of ID, and the state has been embroiled in several legal fights over the issues.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has championed laws which require documents such as a birth certificate, passport or naturalization papers as a way to prevent noncitizens from voting, particularly those living in the U.S. illegally. Critics say incidents of noncitizens registering to vote are extremely rare, and argue such Republican-backed laws hurt voter registration efforts and disenfranchise voters who tend to vote Democrat.

“These shameful actions have made Kansas an epicenter of voter suppression,” said Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project.

Kobach did not immediately return phone and email messag- es seeking comment.

Ralph Ortiz, a veteran whose voter registration was purged for not providing the documents within 90 days, is among the six citizens who brought the lawsuit, which seeks class-action status.

“I joined the military to help protect American freedoms, yet now I’m being denied the most fundamental right in our democracy,” Ortiz said.