Republicans across the country have been advocating for legislation requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, citing concerns about illegal voting by noncitizens. However, in Kansas, where a similar law was implemented over a decade ago, the results were far from successful.
The proof-of-citizenship requirement, passed in 2011 and enforced in 2013, led to the blocking of more than 31,000 eligible U.S. citizens from registering to vote. This amounted to 12% of all new voter registration applications in the state. Federal courts later deemed the law unconstitutional, highlighting the risk of disenfranchising eligible voters in pursuit of addressing a rare issue.
Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who initially supported the law, now acknowledges its failure, stating, 'Kansas did that 10 years ago. It didn’t work out so well.'
While other states like Arizona and Ohio have recently enacted similar requirements, Kansas' experience serves as a cautionary tale. The courts ruled that such laws must be justified by substantial evidence of voter fraud, which was lacking in Kansas where only a few noncitizens were found to have improperly registered to vote.
Despite arguments for the necessity of proof-of-citizenship laws, voting rights advocates remain skeptical. They point out that such requirements can disproportionately impact various groups, including politically unaffiliated and young voters, as well as individuals without easy access to citizenship documents like birth certificates or passports.
As the debate over proof-of-citizenship requirements continues, the lessons from Kansas highlight the importance of balancing election integrity with protecting the voting rights of all eligible citizens.
