Kansas Republicans hindered their own efforts to tighten mail-in voting restrictions after voicing concerns about the security of the state’s elections. Instead, Monday’s debate sparked intraparty division among Republicans, making it harder for their proposal to succeed.
State Republicans proposed a bill to shorten the grace period for turning in mail-in ballots by getting rid of the three additional days after polls close, the Associated Press reported. The Senate was prepared to take a final vote on the bill Tuesday before sending the proposal to the House, but during Monday’s debate, Republican senators expressed additional misgivings about election integrity.
The misgivings caused them to amend the legislation to include banning remote ballot drop boxes and, starting next year, ballot counting machines, saying they could be manipulated despite no significant evidence of such problems. The state Senate voted down the election bill on Tuesday.
Republican state Sen. Mark Steffen proposed the amendments, and Gov. Laura Kelly (D-KS), who was already hesitant about the grace period restrictions, was unlikely to sign them. During the debate, Republican Senate President Ty Masterson argued against banning the vote tabulation machines, saying the vote wasn’t one “that’s going to secure our election.”
“This amendment will put the anchor around this,” Masterson said. “A vote against the amendment is not a vote against the issue.”
The scrutiny surrounding mail-in voting and the use of machines to count ballots has largely taken place following former President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, with him claiming the election was stolen from him despite no evidence supporting that claim.
During the debate, Steffen said Masterson’s words show he is scared of doing what is right to maintain fair and secure elections.
“They’re an incredibly, beautifully verbose commitment to mediocrity,” Steffen said. “Pure and simple, mediocrity at its finest.”
Republican Elections Committee Chairman Pat Proctor said during the debate that the House is not interested in banning remote ballot boxes. Democrats also criticized the amendment, calling it a bill that would “disenfranchise” voters.
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“The secretary of state has made exceptionally clear that Kansas elections are safe and secure,” Democratic state Sen. Cindy Holscher said. “This is a step backward.”
Voting rights advocates also reportedly argued that eliminating ballot boxes and cutting the mail-in voting grace period would make it more challenging for minority groups, the elderly, and disabled people to vote.
