Some attention-grabbing developments got here out of the Kansas state Supreme Courtroom this week when it dominated on a bundle of challenges to a number of new voting legal guidelines not too long ago handed by the legislature. One made it the offense of “giving the looks of being an election officer”. There’s one other limitation on what number of mail-in ballots an individual can acquire and enter A 3rd required that signatures on ballots be checked in opposition to signatures on voter registration types All have been finished to cut back the potential for voter fraud related to mass mail-in voting. But it surely was the poll signature initiative that generated many authorized challenges and lawsuits. The justices most likely raised loads of eyebrows with that ruling when the bulk discovered that there was no inherent proper to vote within the Kansas state structure. (Affiliate Press)
The Kansas Supreme Courtroom provided a blended bag in a ruling Friday that mixed a number of challenges to the 2021 election legislation, sided with state officers on one provision, revived challenges to others and provided the chance that no less than one can be halted earlier than this yr’s normal election. .
But it surely was the bulk opinion on the poll signature verification measure — which stated the Kansas Structure doesn’t have the precise to vote enshrined within the Invoice of Rights — that drew a pointy dissent from three of the court docket’s seven justices.
The measure requires election officers to match signatures on advance mail ballots with an individual’s voter registration file. The state Supreme Courtroom dismissed a decrease court docket’s case, however the majority rejected the voting rights group’s argument that the measure violated state constitutional voting rights.
A decrease court docket dismissed a case difficult the poll signature initiative, however the state’s highest court docket revived it with out placing down the legislation. The lawsuit claims that mandating a signature verify one way or the other abrogates a voter’s elementary proper to vote. However the judges didn’t get any such proper within the state structure. That is curious as a result of I’ve at all times assumed that each one eligible residents of every state have been assumed to have the precise to vote. Maybe that’s not the case in Kansas.
These legal guidelines have been initially vetoed by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly earlier than being overridden by the Legislature. Kansas is making an attempt to guide by instance forward of the November election. A number of of those measures appear fairly smart, even when they by no means get handed in blue states (the place they’re wanted most). It is sensible to verify the poll signature in opposition to the signature on the voter registration kind as a result of if the signatures don’t match, it is a signal that one thing is improper and the poll ought to be held for additional inspection. Why anybody, together with Democrats, would have an issue with it is a thriller until they’re actively making an attempt to encourage voter fraud.
The identical goes for limiting the variety of ballots that an individual can acquire and distribute. Personally, ten nonetheless looks like much more than 9 to me, but it surely’s higher than seeing folks present as much as the drop field with large luggage of ballots and drop them off at midnight, as caught on video in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
The legislation I am not so certain about is that it’s unlawful to impersonate an election official. First, I might have assumed that impersonating a authorities official was already unlawful. The rule seems to focus on teams just like the League of Ladies Voters that reply questions and assist folks register. The League was among the many plaintiffs suing to overturn the legislation. This looks like a reasonably innocent exercise generally, however the legislation doesn’t present a requirement to show that the particular person is deliberately making an attempt to deceive the voter into believing they’re an election official. That deficiency led the state Supreme Courtroom to strike it down.
This episode ought to function yet one more reminder that we have to be particularly cautious this November. All the issues created by mass mail-in voting most likely don’t have any authorized resolution. The GOP wants election displays working in each precinct, no less than in swing states. Names on the poll have to be checked in opposition to the checklist of our bodies and data of those that have already submitted a mail-in poll. We have already seen an excessive amount of hanky panky to disregard the state of affairs. These complaining about such protections are most likely the identical people who find themselves desperately hoping to not get caught.
