Voting Rights Groups Sue Kansas a Second Time Over Voter Suppression Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On June 2, voting rights groups filed a federal lawsuit against the Kansas secretary of state and attorney general after the state’s Republican Legislature overrode the governor’s veto to enact a new voter suppression law last month. The complaint, filed by the Campaign Legal Center on behalf of VoteAmerica and Voter Participation Center, claims that a provision attacking voter education and advocacy violates the First and 14th Amendments as well as the dormant Commerce Clause. This lawsuit comes a day after other voting rights organizations challenged related voter suppression laws in state court.
The plaintiffs allege that House Bill 2332, which bans nonpartisan, out-of-state organizations from sending materials (including mail-in ballot applications encouraging Kansans to vote), targets constitutionally protected core political speech and freedom of association by prohibiting the groups’ ability to advocate for and encourage Kansans to vote.