Kansas House Approves Citizenship Bill

The Kansas House has approved Secretary of
State Kris Kobach’s bill to require some potential voters to prove
their U.S. citizenship ahead of this year’s presidential election.
The House’s 81-43 vote Thursday sends the measure to the Senate,
where some of Kobach’s fellow Republicans are cooler to the idea
than they are in the House.
Legislators enacted a proof-of-citizenship rule last year for
people registering to vote for the first time in Kansas. But at the
Senate’s insistence, the requirement doesn’t take effect until
January 1st, 2013.
Kobach wants to move the effective date up to June 15th.
Senate GOP leaders say a key issue is a $40 million upgrade of
state computers. Officials say the computer system should be ready,
but key GOP senators want a guarantee.