Major blow to Kris Kobach: Appeals court strikes down Kansas law requiring proof of citizenship to vote

Advocates hailed the ruling, a setback for GOP former Secretary of State Kris Kobach, as a big win for ballot access.

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court Wednesday declared unconstitutional a Kansas law that required proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, with a rebuke for the Republican former secretary of state who had championed the requirement.

“This is a huge win for voters,” said Rick Hasen, an election law expert at the University of California, Irvine. “It clears away a law that disenfranchised thousands but prevented no appreciable amount of voter fraud.”

The law, which took effect in 2013 but was later blocked by a federal trial judge, was promoted by former state Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who for years said noncitizens were voting illegally. President Donald Trump appointed him to help lead a commission studying voter fraud, which was disbanded in 2018.

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Article submitted by, ScottInManhattan.