Kansas Supreme Court Upholds 2 Election Integrity Laws

A divided Kansas Supreme Court on May 31 issued a response to a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of three election integrity laws stemming from the 2020 election, affirming in part and reversing in part lower court rulings on the long-standing dispute. All three laws were created in 2021 in the aftermath of heightened concerns surrounding alleged fraud in the 2020 general election. Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, vetoed the bills, but the Republican-led Kansas Legislature voted to override her veto. One of the laws makes it a crime to falsely give the appearance of being an election official. A second requires election officials to verify signatures on advance ballot envelopes with signatures on file and, in the situation of a mismatch, requires the election officer to contact the voter for an opportunity to cure the defect. A third law prohibits anyone from delivering more than 10 advance ballots on behalf of other voters....