On Tuesday, the Kansas Senate rejected SB 365, a bill that initially sought to end the three-day grace period for accepting mail-in ballots after election day and ban the use of satellite ballot drop-off boxes. After a hearing Monday, March 4th, the bill included an amendment to end the use of electronic equipment to cast votes and count ballots. The bill was heard in the Senate Monday and failed to pass Tuesday.
The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, had urged lawmakers to oppose this and what they called anti-democracy bills introduced in the 2024 session. Executive Director of the ACLU of Kansas, Micah Kubic, says they want elections to be secure – but we cannot give in to extremists who are hellbent on leveraging unfounded conspiracy theories to attack Kansans’ access to be a part of our democracy. He added that advanced voting is safe, secure, and crucial for a variety of Kansas voters, from people with mobility issues or health concerns, to rural voters, to elderly and student voters.
