Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly is leading a voter registration effort in Kansas.
Under Gov. Kelly, the Kansas Department for Children and Families and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment have been sending out voter registration applications and information to potential voters in Kansas. It is an effort to comply with federal law.
Oct. 13 is the deadline to register to vote in Kansas.
Last November, Demos, Loud Light, the ACLU, and the ACLU of Kansas completed an investigation of compliance with the National Voter Registration Act in Kansas and notified Gov. Kelly and other state officials of areas to improve to ensure the state’s compliance with the NVRA, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
DCF and KDHE have been working on meaningful improvements to agency-provided voter registration opportunities and assistance to clients filling out voter registration applications.
Among other improvements, DCF and KDHE upgraded and will continue to improve their online application portals to provide their clients with better assistance with voter registration.
Although some of the technology upgrades will take time to implement, DCF and KDHE have mailed voter registration applications to clients to ensure that they receive opportunities to register to vote before the November general election.
This process has already provided many Kansas residents with an opportunity to register to vote or update their registration during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Between March and September 2020, DCF mailed voter registration applications to nearly 151,00 clients. KDHE will send voter registration applications to 127,000 client households in September.
“As we weather this pandemic, with many individuals quarantined at home and practicing social distancing, it is important we provide this service to Kansans,” Gov. Laura Kelly said. “I am committed to making sure eligible Kansas voters are not left behind.”
Gov. Kelly encouraged all eligible Kansas residents to register to vote. Kansans who receive a voter registration application in the mail are encouraged to complete the application to register to vote (or update an existing registration) as quickly as possible to ensure it reaches their county’s election office ahead of the Oct. 13 deadline to register. Eligible Kansans may also register to vote online at https://www.kdor.ks.gov/apps/voterreg/default.aspx; a Kansas driver’s license or state identification card are required to register to vote on the Kansas registration page. Eligible Kansans can also register in minutes at KSVotes.org. To vote in the general presidential election this year, Kansas residents must be registered to vote by Oct. 13.
The governor also encouraged every registered voter to vote by mail. Any registered voter in Kansas can vote by mail. The application for a mail-in ballot can be found at https://www.kssos.org/forms/elections/AV1.pdf.
Applications for a mail ballot must be returned by Oct. 27, to the county election office. Ballots will be mailed to those who apply beginning on Oct. 14. All ballots must be postmarked on or before Nov. 3 and received in the county election office by the close of business on Nov. 6.
The Kansas GOP issued a statement in response that www.ksvotes.org was not an official state website, and it receives personal information from people who register there, unlike the official Kansas site to register to vote, at https://www.kdor.ks.gov/Apps/VoterReg/Default.aspx.