New Kansas law boosts voter protections for mail-in ballots

Governor Laura Kelly has signed a bill that requires election officials to notify voters before their mail-in ballots are thrown out because of signature problems.

An Associated Press analysis of rejected ballots in the 2018 primary in the state’s most populous county found that 153 mail-in ballots were not counted because of signatures that didn’t match county voting records.

Then-Secretary of State Kris Kobach defeated then Governor Jeff Colyer for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in that race by only 343 votes.  The close Republican primary highlighted differences in how Kansas counties handled mail-in ballots.

The legislation Kelly signed Monday gives voters an additional week or longer to provide a signature.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.