A three-judge panel of the Kansas Court of Appeals issued an opinion Friday declaring voting a foundational constitutional right potentially undermined by state law mandating election volunteers verify signatures on advance ballots and restricting the number of advance ballots a person could deliver to an election office. The opinion remanding the case back to District Court, but not overturning the state voting laws in question. Attorney General Kris Kobach issued a statement saying the decision was directly contrary to what the U. S. Supreme Court has said as well as every state Supreme Court has said. , calling it the most radical election law decision ever made. He vowed to appeal their decision.
The Court of Appeals said state law requiring election officials to match signatures on advance ballots to other documents impaired the right to vote in Kansas. Kobach says having election officials make sure that it is your signature on your advance ballot doesn’t hurt your right to vote, it protects your vote from being stolen by someone else. The case is likely to end up in the U. S. Supreme Court.
