As we have highlighted before, the voter registration deadline for the Aug. 2 primary is quickly approaching. Complete registration information must be filed at your County Clerk’s office by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12.
Recent rulings in different court cases have still left things up in the air on the proof of citizenship requirements that were adopted in Kansas in 2014. To be safe we recommend having the appropriate documentation as outlined below available when you register.
Evidence Required
Any person registering to vote in Kansas for the first time will be required to provide satisfactory evidence of United States citizenship. Individuals registered to vote in Kansas as of the effective date of this requirement are deemed to have submitted proof of citizenship and are exempt from the requirement as long as they remain on the voter registration list. Moving from one place to another within Kansas or modifying one's registration records does not require the person to re-submit proof of citizenship. If a voter's registration is canceled, the person must submit a citizenship document when re-registering.
If a citizenship document is not provided at the time the person submits his or her voter registration application, it may be submitted at a later time. Such person may (1) mail or deliver the document to the county election office by the close of business on the day before the election, or (2) submit it electronically by midnight the day before the election. "Electronically" means fax, email or other electronic means approved by the Secretary of State.
Valid Citizenship Documents
- Birth certificate that verifies United States citizenship
- United States passport or pertinent pages of the applicant's valid or expired United States passport identifying the applicant and the applicant's passport number
- United States naturalization documents or the number of the certificate of naturalization
- Other documents or methods of proof of United States citizenship issued by the federal government pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952
- Bureau of Indian Affairs card number, tribal treaty card number or tribal enrollment number
- Consular report of birth abroad of a citizen of the United States
- Certificate of citizenship issued by the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Certification of report of birth issued by the United States Department of State
- American Indian card, with KIC classification, issued by the United States Department of Homeland Security (Note: This document applies only to a small Texas band of the Kickapoo tribe with slightly more than 50 members.)
- Final adoption decree showing the applicant's name and United States birthplace
- United States military record of service showing applicant's place of birth in the United States
- Extract from a United States hospital record of birth created at the time of the applicant's birth indicating the applicant's place of birth in the United States
- Only if the agency indicates on the applicant's driver's license or nondriver's identification card that the person has provided satisfactory proof of United States citizenship, then a driver's license or nondriver's identification card issued by the Kansas Division of Vehicles or the equivalent governmental agency of another state within the United States
No Citizenship Documents
Applicants who cannot meet the citizenship verification requirement because they do not possess any of the documents listed above to prove their U.S. citizenship may:
- if born in Kansas, apply for a free birth certificate using Form BCA (Español), (Affidavit of Person Requesting Free Certified Copy of Birth Certificate) and Form VS-235 10/09 (Application for Certified Copy of Kansas Birth Certificate), or
- if not born in Kansas, instructions for obtaining a birth certificate in another state or territory may be found at the National Center for Health Statistics website, or
- appeal to the state election board for consideration of the registration application by submitting Form RCD (Español) (Request for Consideration of U.S. Citizenship Documents by State Election Board of Kansas).
Registration can be completed by paper or online, and registered voters must verify their eligibility to register with supporting documentation. For step by step instructions and links to paperwork and online registration visit www.VoteKs.org
If you, or friends and family members are not sure of your Voter Registration Status you can find your information including polling place and voter history by following this link to the Kansas Secretary of State website:
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