House Panel Endorses Kobach Citizenship Bill

A Kansas House committee has endorsed
Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s proposal to require some potential
Kansas voters to prove their U.S. citizenship ahead of this year’s
presidential election.
The Elections Committee approved a bill to impose the
proof-of-citizenship requirement starting June 15th for people
registering to vote in Kansas for the first time. The state enacted
the rule last year, but it isn’t scheduled to take effect until
January 1st, 2013.
The committee’s endorsement of the bill allows a debate in the
House. Kobach has said he wants to impose the proof-of-citizenship
rule ahead of schedule because voter registration peaks once every
four years in the months before a presidential election.
But critics say the bill will hurt voter participation.