News & Commentary

Federal Department of Justice observers will monitor polling places in Johnson County on Tuesday, Election Day, as part of a historic expansion of its monitoring efforts that includes three of the most populous areas of Kansas. The department announced monitors will be in Wyandotte and Sedgwick counties as well as Johnson County.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Kansas have challenged SB 244 in Douglas County District Court, arguing that the law violates constitutional protections. A hearing on a request for a preliminary injunction was scheduled to begin Sept. 29. The latest publicly available case information reviewed for this story did not establish the outcome of that hearing.

“Rather than strengthening democracy, [the amendments are] a political maneuver designed to justify future rollbacks of voting rights,” said Rashane Hamby with the ACLU of Kansas in testimony last year.

Opponents, like the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, say it’s already law that only citizens can vote, and passing this amendment could open the floodgates to problematic voting restrictions. Rashane Hamby, director of policy and research for the ACLU of Kansas, said “the language in (the amendment) could be weaponized to justify a return to restrictive voter registration laws, as it explicitly conditions voter eligibility on U.S. citizenship, despite no evidence of noncitizen voting.” Amii Castle, a law professor at the University of Kansas, worries it could open the gates for legislators to try the law that required registering voters to prove their citizenship again. That law was struck down by a federal judge.

The ACLU of Kansas will run a statewide, nonpartisan voter assistance hotline that can be reached at 866-687-8683. The hotline is also available in multiple languages:

The ACLU is looking at Kansas as one of the closest watched states this election cycle. “This year, we are keeping our eye on places like Iowa, Kansas, California and Maine,” said Deirdre Schifeling with the ACLU.

“We have definitely stepped up our election protection work and have the largest, most robust program we’ve ever had — covering more polling places with more volunteers and prepared for more scenarios,” said Micah Kubic, executive director of the ACLU of Kansas. “We are still recruiting, so I wouldn’t want to commit to numbers yet — but in August, we doubled the size of the program over prior years and anticipate doing the same for November.”

So, what’s the distinction? And why are groups like the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and the League of Women Voters advocating for Kansans to vote “no” in the Nov. 3 general election?

Opponents of the amendment include the Kansas chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union and the League of Women Voters, both of which submitted written testimony in opposition to the amendment during the 2025 legislative session. Davis Hammet, president of Loud Light Civic Action, a voting rights advocacy group in Kansas, also opposed the measure.