After lawmakers enacted an election law in 2021 without having it go through the normal committee process, legislators have now held a hearing on a proposed change in an attempt to resolve a long-running lawsuit ahead of the 2024 elections.
The offices of Secretary of State Scott Schwab and Attorney General Kris Kobach, who were on the losing side of a Kansas Supreme Court decision in December, are asking lawmakers to amend the law.
Representatives of the two state officers said House Bill 2618 should alleviate the constitutionality concerns that the high court unanimously expressed. But the voter advocacy organizations that are suing Schwab and Kobach say the bill does not go far enough to address their concerns.
The bill could affect the 2024 elections, as Loud Light and the League of Women Voters seek to resume voter registration activities, and as election officials seek to maintain the integrity of elections.
It also could affect the ongoing lawsuit, which is back on the Supreme Court’s docket next week.