‘Kansans aren’t having it’: ACLU, Loud Light talk state elections, restrictions

TOPEKA — Kansas voters believe in democracy, not “garbage” conspiracy theories, said one voting advocate, discussing the shadow of the “big lie” that has shadowed every Kansas legislative session since 2020.

Davis Hammet, president of the voter advocacy group Loud Light and Micah Kubic, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas warned of continued attempts to restrict Kansas voters during a Kansas Reflector podcast, referencing multiple election bills heard in recent weeks.

“The thing that’s consistent about all of those is that they’re all attacks on democracy, all attacks on voting rights,” Kubic said. “Precisely the sort of attacks that have already been rejected by Kansans, rejected by courts and rejected by common sense.”

The bills range from limiting advanced voting, creating additional restrictions for people delivering ballots for others and adding further verification for mail-in ballots. The legislation has been introduced despite assurances from Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who has repeatedly testified that Kansas elections are secure and accurate.

Senate Bill 366 would prohibit counties from sending applications for advance ballots to registered voters unless specifically requested. These applications must be filled out and sent into county election offices within a certain time frame in order to receive a mail-in ballot.

Senate Bill 344, dealing with advanced voting, would require a voter identity verification form be attached with advance ballots. House Bill 2512 would cut down on the state’s early voting window.

“So many times these bills really get into the margins, very bureaucratic small things that it might be hard to understand as voter suppression,” Hammet said. “But when you look at the totality of circumstances, they’re often targeted at young folks, disabled folks, elderly folks, rural folks and create barriers to them being able to cast the ballots. And it really is overwhelming because these bills don’t really get vetted.”

Hammet mentioned the “big lie,” otherwise known former president Donald Trump’s false claims the 2020 election was stolen from him. Officials repeatedly showed there was no widespread election fraud. Regardless, Republican lawmakers on a local and national level have since attempted to pass more restrictive election laws.

“They sort of rebranded themself as protecting democracy, as voter integrity,” Hammet said. “But almost all of the voter election laws they passed are really targeted at making it more difficult for low-income Kansans to participate in the process.”

Hammet’s group is part of ongoing litigation over 2021 election law that made it a felony to have “the appearance of being an election official” or behave in ways that would “cause another person to believe a person engaging in such conduct is an election official.” The law halted Loud Light and other voting rights groups from registering new voters, a move Hammet estimates cost the state thousands of new voter registrations.

Kubic and Hammet said that passing more restrictions wouldn’t ultimately prove popular with Kansas voters.

“They’re going to engage in all the hijinks that they do in order to pass laws. But I think everyday Kansans aren’t having it,” Kubic said. “I think everyday Kansans will rush over themselves to find ways to defend our democracy. There’s no amount of trying to hide what’s going on. There’s no amount of conspiracy theory and fear mongering that’s going to stop everyday Kansans from turning up when they have the opportunity to say ‘We believe in democracy, not in this garbage.’”