Kobach Concedes Voter-Citizenship Bill Dead
KSCB News - May 11, 2012 8:16 am
Secretary of State Kris Kobach is conceding
that Kansas legislators have effectively killed his proposal to
require first-time voters to provide proof of citizenship starting
next month.
Kobach acknowledged Thursday his bill is dead because a fellow
Republican, Senate President Steve Morris, has assigned it to a
hostile committee. Morris hasn’t allowed an up-or-down Senate vote
after the measure passed the GOP-led House.
Kansas already has a proof-of-citizenship rule for people
registering to vote for the first time in the state, but it doesn’t
take effect until January. Kobach wanted the rule in place by June
15th.
The House passed one version of Kobach’s proposal in February,
but it stalled in a Senate committee. House members passed a new
version Wednesday, hoping senators would take a quick vote.