KanVote Calls for Repeal of Voter Registration Restrictions
Channel: x x
Date: 2013-01-09

Wichita, KS -- As of Tuesday, a proof of citizenship requirement will be imposed on all citizens registering to vote for the first time in Kansas. This marks the full implementation of new voter restrictions outlined by the Kansas SAFE Act. Photo identification requirements at polls outlined by the SAFE Act went into effect in 2012, resulting in 532 votes blocked in the last general election. With the number of votes blocked by partial implementation of the SAFE Act far exceeding the number of alleged cases of voter fraud in Kansas, KanVote is calling on lawmakers to repeal the proof of citizenship restriction this legislative session.
New voters in Kansas are now required to produce expensive and difficult to procure proof of citizenship documents before being allowed to register to vote. In some states, a replacement birth certificate can exceed $40. A passport costs $135. For naturalized Americans, replacement citizenship documents cost at least $220. New Kansas voters now have to jump through bureaucratic hoops, provide supporting documents, fill out forms, and wait as long as a year for their requests to be processed. If the cost and effort to obtain these documents doesn't disenfranchise a voter, the time waiting can and, for some, will. 

Read more: http://sunfloweract.org/in-the-news/kanvote-calls-for-a-repeal-of-new-voter-registration-restriction/