Appeals court says U.S. 'motor voter' law preempts Kansas ID rules

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

U.S. | Sat Oct 1, 2016 | 12:13pm EDT

Appeals court says U.S. 'motor voter' law preempts Kansas ID rules

By Alex Dobuzinskis

A U.S. appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling requiring Kansas to allow thousands of people who registered to vote at motor vehicle offices to stay on election rolls, despite not showing proof of citizenship as mandated by a state law.

The decision, filed in court papers late on Friday by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, clears the way for these voters to take part in the U.S. election in November.

The decision is not expected to affect the state's status as a Republican stronghold, but the legal battle over Kansas' voter identification law has thrust the state into a national debate over voting restrictions.

The National Voter Registration Act allows Americans to register to vote at state motor vehicle offices with no more documentation than they would need to get a driver's license.

"Under the facts of this case, section five of the NVRA preempts Kansas' (documentary proof of citizenship) requirement as applied to motor voter applications," Circuit Judge Jerome Holmes wrote in the court's decision.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-kansas-voterid-idUSKCN1213HM