Lawsuit Challenges Kansas Mail-In Ballot Law Changes

Three advocacy groups have filed a lawsuit challenging a new Kansas law, Senate Bill 4, which eliminates the three-day grace period for counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day. Under the new law, only ballots received by 7 p.m. on Election Day will be counted, regardless of postmark, a change that critics say will disenfranchise rural, elderly, disabled voters, and students due to postal delays. The lawsuit argues that the law is unconstitutional because it arbitrarily rejects lawful voters' ballots for circumstances beyond their control, and seeks to reinstate and even extend the grace period to seven days. Plaintiffs cite concerns that thousands of votes could be discarded, referencing past elections where significant numbers of ballots arrived during the grace period. Defendants in the case include Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab and Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew, who have not commented extensively on the lawsuit. The Republican-led legislature passed SB 4 by overriding a veto from Democratic Governor Laura Kelly, with debates highlighting partisan divisions and concerns about voter education on the new requirements.