Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has gained national attention trying to ensure that voters who failed to show proof of citizenship should not be allowed to vote. Almost 18,000 voters in the state have registered without showing such documentation. And now,as The Kansas City Star reports,a Shawnee County judge has said those registered voter’s ballots will count in November’s election.
Critics have charged that Kobach is trying to block the ballots of these voters because they are likely disproportionately Democratic voters. This summer, judge Larry Hendricks issued a temporary injunction until he makes a final ruling on the case. Now, the judge has extended the injunction for a period “including up through the general election.”
Kobach championed a 2013 law that required Kansas voters to show proof of citizenship, like a birth certificate or a U.S. passport, to have their vote counted. Many of the voters in question registered at motor vehicle bureaus, where they weren’t required to show such documentation.