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ACLU Ready to File Lawsuit Over Kansas Voter Registration Law

The American Civil Liberties Union said in a letter that it's ready to go to court over a voter registration law in Kansas.

The law requires people registering to vote for the first time in Kansas to prove their citizenship with a document such as a birth certificate. More than 12,000 voter registration applications have been put on hold because of that requirement.

Doug Bonney is with the ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri. He said the law, which was strongly championed by Secretary of State Kris Kobach, puts unnecessary hurdles in front of voters.

“If the secretary doesn’t change his position and Kansas doesn’t amend the law, then 90 days from now we will be looking to file a lawsuit,” Bonney said.

In a statement, Kobach called the letter "no surprise," because the ACLU and other groups have opposed the law since it was first suggested. Kobach says the state of Kansas takes the citizenship requirement seriously and will continue to enforce the law.

Stephen Koranda is the managing editor of the Kansas News Service, based at KCUR. He has nearly 20 years of experience in public media as a reporter and editor.