The Big Lie about elections has come to Kansas | Commentary
The Kansas legislature is now on spring break. Prior to leaving Topeka, two bills were passed that purport to resolve dire problems with Kansas elections, but in reality, are designed to suppress the vote. In particular the target is advance voting by mail, which was utilized so successfully last fall in the midst of a pandemic.
HB 2332 attempts to tell the governor, secretary of state and even the court system what they can and cannot do regarding elections. It contains jurisdictional issues that will likely be in court for years—defended at taxpayer expense. It takes away most of the flexibility of the governor or secretary to make sure elections can proceed in the event of a disaster and hands it to the Legislative Coordinating Council (LCC), an entity we are beginning to call the fourth branch of government.
HB 2183 attempts to place barriers to voting by mail by restricting assisting a voter by delivering an advance ballot to the election office. Such assistance would be restricted to 10 voters. Deliver the 11th one and you’ve committed a class B misdemeanor.
Here are some things you need to know about these voter suppression measures:
They are NOT in response to any problem described by the Kansas Secretary of State. After auditing all 105 counties, Secretary Scott Schwab testified that the 2020 election went smoothly, with no major issues, in spite of record voting by mail during a pandemic.
They were not proposed or supported by ANY group working with elections or with voting issues.
They were proposed by a shadowy out-of-state group called Opportunity Solutions Project. This group is incorporated in Florida and has a DC phone number. They hired a lobbyist who appeared before the House and Senate committees as the ONLY non-legislator proponent for these bills. This entity has promoted voter suppression measures in other states as well.
The bills were opposed by 15 groups and individuals, including the League of Women Voters, the ACLU, and the Disability Rights Center of Kansas. Also objecting was the group representing county clerks who carry the responsibility of implementing elections in Kansas.
At least one measure in HB 2183 — the “not impersonating an election official” provision — was never introduced in committee in either chamber. It was dropped into the bill via an amendment in the Senate, bypassing any opportunity for public input prior to consideration by the full House. No one can point to any instance of such impersonating happening in Kansas. This vaguely worded section of the bill will likely make it more complicated to conduct voter registration drives.
These measures have been aptly described as a solution searching for a problem. However there is a problem lurking in the wings that has been the driving force behind these bills. The need to suppress the vote prior to the big decision during the primary election in 2022. The vote on a constitutional amendment that would remove reproductive freedom for Kansas women as a constitutional right.
Rep. Elizabeth Bishop, D-Wichita, represents Kansas’ 88th House District and is a member of the Elections Committee.