ACLU of Kansas condemns lawmakers’ unprecedented attack on Kansans’ voting rights

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 3, 2026

CONTACT: Esmie Tseng, [email protected]

TOPEKA, Kansas – The ACLU of Kansas is warning that, taken as a whole, a package of six bills recently passed by the Kansas House of Representatives constitute one of the most comprehensive and significant attacks on voting and free, fair elections that Kansans have ever seen. Post turnaround, the bills are still alive for the session and being considered by the Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs.

“For over a decade, Kansas politicians bludgeoned us with the myth of noncitizen voting or voter fraud to justify their relentless attacks on our ability to vote,” said Micah Kubic, ACLU of Kansas Executive Director. “Now, even as they have been forced to admit that voter fraud is not a rampant issue, politicians are holding onto Kansans’ constitutional right to vote as a bargaining chip. Kansas voters deserve better. The National Voter Registration Act and the Constitution exist to block this very kind of political attack by officials on our freedom to vote.

“These bills have only one outcome – to be sure that fewer Kansans vote and elections are made less meaningful. This thinly veiled attempt to interfere with our elections is, put simply, a power grab that actively undermines our elections. This package of bills is as extreme as anything that emerged from the Kobach era’s assaults on the right to vote; indeed, this package goes further in attacking the very idea and practice of voting. We cannot separate this from lawmakers’ other efforts to disrupt the balance of power between our branches of government and to seize and share sensitive data. We must protect our voices and our ability to hold these officials accountable.”

HCR 5021 is a proposed constitutional amendment that brings back unconstitutional documentary proof of citizenship laws by requiring photographic identification and makes it harder for Kansans to vote. The Kansas Constitution already sets forth voter qualifications, and Kansas law already requires that voters provide identification at the polls. Placing the additional, burdensome requirement of requiring photo ID issued by the State of Kansas or the federal government in the state constitution does not change who is eligible to vote, nor does it add clarity that is not already present in statute or practice—it only serves to disenfranchise eligible voters

HB 2503 would repeal the Mail Ballot Election Act, which provides for local, mail-only elections, and would disenfranchise thousands of vulnerable voters in making their voices heard in local decisions. The Kansas County Clerks and Election Officials Association also opposed the legislation, noting that “its practical effect is to eliminate a long-standing election option that has been used by counties, cities, school districts, and other local units of government for limited-purpose, low-turnout elections," without improving election security or efficiency.

HB 2453 would alter numerous advanced voting deadlines, such as when eligible citizens can register to vote and when voters can vote early in person. By making significant changes to important voting deadlines and procedures, this bill risks confusion and disenfranchisement. It combines a harmful proposal that would limit early voting opportunities with limited attempts at addressing real pitfalls in Kansas election law.

HB 2491 would require various state agencies to make quarterly reports to the Secretary of State of noncitizens receiving public benefits, sharing names, addresses, dates of birth, and partial Social Security numbers. The bill creates privacy risks, invites government misuse of personal information, fuels false conspiracy theories about non-citizen voting, places unnecessary administrative burdens on state agencies, and contributes to a broader pattern of policies that target and stigmatize immigrant communities with no benefits to election integrity.

SB 394 would essentially end mail-in voting, contingent on a court decision related to signature verification. Signature match laws disproportionately impact vulnerable populations, such as the elderly or people with disabilities, and are a significant barrier to the ballot box.

HB 2437 would purge and punish eligible voters for inactivity by relying on unreliable data sources. It would weaken transparency and increase the risk of voters being wrongly removed from the voter rolls, violating clear due process and long-standing voter protection safeguards.

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About the ACLU of Kansas: The ACLU of Kansas is the statewide affiliate of the national American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU of Kansas is dedicated to preserving and advancing the civil rights and legal freedoms guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. For more information, visit our website at www.aclukansas.org.