To the editor:

The League of Women Voters of Kansas is proud to be part of a voting rights victory for all Kansans as we celebrate the ruling of a federal appeals court that requiring Documentary Proof of Citizenship (DPOC) to register to vote is unconstitutional. 

The American Civil Liberties Union challenged the law on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Kansas and individual Kansans who gave testimony in the original case.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit declared April 29 that the voting law crafted by former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach violates the National Voter Registration Act and the U.S. Constitution (Fish v. Kobach, now Fish v. Schwab). The law illegally mandated DPOC (such as a birth certificate or passport) to register to vote and blocked more than 30,000 Kansans from registering to vote. 

The decision is binding in states covered by the Tenth Circuit, which includes Kansas Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and portions of Yellowstone National Park extending into Montana and Idaho. 

League of Women Voters members believe voting is the most fundamental right of our democracy. The voter fraud claimed by the defendant was shown to be almost non-existent and the law instead disenfranchised tens of thousands of Kansans. 

We urge Kansans to call on current Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab to drop any further appeals, or any form of further voter suppression, in the interest of preserving the right of all Kansans to register and vote.

Cille King, Lawrence

Teresa Briggs, Emporia

Co-Presidents of the League of Women Voters of Kansas