Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Politics

Kansas appeals court reinstates suit over ballot harvesting law

by March 18, 2023
March 18, 2023
Kansas appeals court reinstates suit over ballot harvesting law

The Kansas Court of Appeals on Friday reinstated a lawsuit that challenged provisions of a voting law enacted in 2021 that opponents argue is unconstitutional and limits voting rights.

The lawsuit was filed in 2021 by Loud Light, the League of Women Voters of Kansas, the Topeka Independent Living Resource Center and the Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.

They challenged provisions of a law passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature that limit how many advance mail ballots individuals can collect and require election officials to match the signatures on an advance ballot to a person’s voter registration record.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said Friday he would appeal the ruling.

Supporters of the law argued that restricting individuals from collecting and returning more than 10 advanced ballots per election would reduce ‘ballot harvesting’ and limit voter fraud. Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the measure, but lawmakers overrode her veto.

The unanimous opinion Friday, written by Judge Stephen Hill, said the two provisions impair the right to vote.

‘It was by free elections that we gained statehood. Thus, voting rights are preserved in the Kansas Constitution,’ Hill wrote. ‘Great care must be taken when trying to limit or infringe on those rights. Voting was important then. Voting is important now.’

The court sent the lawsuit back to Shawnee County District Court Judge Teresa Watson, who originally dismissed it in April 2022 after finding the restrictions were reasonable. The ruling does not strike down the law. But it requires Watson to review the lawsuit using ‘strict scrutiny,’ which is the highest standard of legal review.

Kobach called the ruling ‘the most radical election law decision in the country.’ He said the signature verification requirement protects people from having their votes stolen. He did not address the provision limiting the collection of ballots.

‘It is clearly wrong,’ Kobach said in a statement. ‘The decision is directly contrary to what the U.S. Supreme Court has said, as well as what every state supreme court has said on the matter.’

Davis Hammet, executive director of Loud Light, noted the ruling did not address whether the law is constitutional but said it was still a victory for voters.

‘It clarified the right to vote is a fundamental constitutional right and said when election laws are challenged the courts will apply the highest level of scrutiny to those laws,’ Hammet said.

Hammet said the ruling is especially important in the aftermath of baseless claims that the 2020 election was not valid, which prompted a wave of misinformation and voter suppression laws across the country.

‘What the court said here is (lawmakers) can’t just restrict the right to vote,’ he said. ‘If you have a restriction, it has to be there for a compelling reason. You have to show you’re not just stopping people from voting or having their votes count.’

Jacqueline Lightcap, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Kansas, said the ruling supports many arguments that voting advocates have been making since 2021.

‘We think the judge has some excellent points in saying voting is fundamental right and the earlier case was rushed out of district court,’ Lightcap said. ‘We’re very excited to have the chance to get it heard again.’

Secretary of State Scott Schwab said his office was reviewing the decision but said it ‘appeared to be a substantial change to the judicial standard of reviewing state election laws.’

Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Republican from Wichita, called the decision ‘shocking’ and said it endangers all current election integrity laws.

‘I am confident that Attorney General Kobach will swiftly appeal this egregious decision and Republicans in the House will support his efforts in every possible way,’ Hawkins said.

The Kansas Supreme Court heard arguments last month on another provision of the law, which makes it a crime to impersonate election officials. Opponents said the provision would make it difficult to conduct voter registration drives.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
Massachusetts Gov. Healey looks to extend schools’ universal free lunch program
next post
Here’s What the Markets are Telling Us – And It’s Not All Bad

You may also like

Appeals court blocks Trump from firing federal board...

April 7, 2025

Indiana Supreme Court hearing challenge to statewide abortion...

January 19, 2023

Top 5 most outrageous ways the government has...

May 2, 2025

Meet the Republican governor in demand with GOP...

July 2, 2023

Would-Be Disinformation Board Czar Nina Jankowicz Registers As...

November 26, 2022

First on Fox: VP Vance to tout Trump’s...

February 20, 2025

Top health official accuses RFK Jr’s agency of...

April 17, 2025

2024 Watch: Trump to hold first public campaign...

January 12, 2023

Jesse Watters Destroys the Narratives Surrounding the Midnight...

November 3, 2022

Sen. Blackburn concerned over Biden supplemental request to...

October 21, 2023

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • Trump talks with Putin, spars with South African leader, threatens EU tariff hike in 18th week in office

      May 24, 2025
    • 4 Best Assignment Writing Services Reviewed by University Students

      May 24, 2025
    • DAVID MARCUS: Tax-free overtime could be midterm magic for GOP

      May 24, 2025
    • SCOOP: House Republicans request ban on federally funded ‘transgender animal’ experiments in 2026 budget

      May 24, 2025
    • WATCH: GOP senators rail against staggering $4.7 trillion in untraceable Treasury payments

      May 24, 2025
    • Trump unleashes US nuclear renaissance with bold executive orders

      May 24, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,038)
    • Investing (1,986)
    • Politics (15,367)
    • Stocks (3,106)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved