00000179-cdc6-d978-adfd-cfc6d7d40002Coverage of the issues, races and people shaping Kansas elections in 2016, including statewide coverage in partnership with KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, and High Plains Public Radio.

Initial Impact Of Kansas Voter Registration Ruling Appears Small

A "vote here" sign directs people into the RiverWalk Church of Christ in Wichita on Election Day.
Nadya Faulx

Kansas officials are counting votes from this month's primary election, including the votes cast on more than 9,000 provisional ballots across the state. It’s not yet clear how many of those are from 17,000 people affected by a recent court ruling.

Just days before the primary, a judge ruled that people who registered to vote at the DMV, without turning in a citizenship document, would be allowed to vote with a provisional ballot.

Shawnee County Election Commissioner Andrew Howell says they have had outreach efforts targeting voters with suspended registrations to help them fix the problems. He says the initial impact of the judge’s ruling appears small.

“Only three showed up on Election Day, so I think it does bear out that those people either have moved or otherwise are not overly focused on dealing with it,” Howell says.

Officials in Johnson County say around a dozen ballots were cast by people affected by the ruling.

Secretary of State Kris Kobach previously said he expected low voter turnout from this group of 17,000 people partially because many of them may have already moved away.

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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.
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