Are you a motor voter? Here’s what to expect at the polls Tuesday

Voters who registered at the Kansas Department of Motor Vehicles will be allowed to vote in Tuesday’s state and local primary elections, but their votes will be handled differently from regular ballots.

What’s a motor voter?

On Friday, a Shawnee County judge ruled that voters who registered at the Kansas Department of Motor Vehicles, but did not provide state-required proof of citizenship, must be allowed to vote in all their precinct’s federal, state and local races in Tuesday’s primary election.

Judge Larry Hendricks said those voters must be allowed full participation in the election to comply with an earlier court ruling that excluding them would conflict with the federal “motor voter” law, which requires DMV’s to offer registration services.

The judge struck down a plan proposed by Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who intended to count only the votes that motor voters cast for federal candidates, while throwing out their votes in state and local races.

How many voters are affected?

Approximately 17,500 voters statewide, including approximately 4,200 in Sedgwick County.

How will this work at the polls?

The votes cast by the motor voters will be handled as “provisional” ballots, Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Tabitha Lehman said at a news conference Friday night.

Voters covered by Hendricks’ order will not have their names added to the regular poll book, but will be on a separate eligibility list.

Instead of using the regular electronic voting machines, they will get a paper ballot with all the federal, state and local races that apply to where they live.

After marking the ballot, the voter will seal it in a provisional ballot envelope and turn it in to the poll workers.

What happens after Election Day?

The motor voters’ sealed ballot envelopes will be separated from ballots cast as provisional for other reasons.

During the official canvass of votes, which takes place several days after election day, Lehman said she will recommend to the canvassing board that she be allowed to count all votes on the motor voters’ ballots to comply with Hendricks’ order.

That board, which has five members, is charged with deciding which provisional votes should be counted and certifying the final vote result. In Sedgwick County, the board usually includes county commissioners, although other elected officials and/or staff have been appointed to serve at times.

Will this delay the election results?

It could, if there’s a close race with a large number of provisional ballots to count. If that happens, it could be a matter of days after the election before all the votes are counted and the final outcome is known.

How does this affect voter ID?

It doesn’t have anything to do with it. All voters, even the ones newly enfranchised by Hendricks’ ruling, will still have to present a driver’s license or other government-issue photo ID when they go to the polls.

This story was originally published July 30, 2016 at 7:15 AM with the headline "Are you a motor voter? Here’s what to expect at the polls Tuesday."