Lawsuit against Kris Kobach over Kansas voting rule will be heard next week

A court will hear a challenge next week to a temporary Kansas regulation that would throw out the votes of some people who registered to vote at state motor vehicle offices.

The 3rd Judicial District Court in Topeka will hear the latest voter registration case against Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach just a few days before the Aug. 2 primary. A hearing has been scheduled for 1:30 p.m. July 29, according to court records.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit, Brown v. Kobach, on Tuesday.

Kobach’s office helped quickly approve a temporary state rule change earlier this month that would keep more than 17,000 voters who did not show proof of citizenship when they registered to vote from getting their ballots counted in state and local elections. Those voters would be allowed to vote only in federal elections.

On behalf of three plaintiffs in the case, the ACLU said the rule change created a dual voter registration that violated the state’s law and constitution.

The lawsuit is the latest challenge to a 2013 law that Kobach has supported during his tenure. Since going into effect, new voters in Kansas are required to show proof of citizenship to vote.

This story was originally published July 21, 2016 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Lawsuit against Kris Kobach over Kansas voting rule will be heard next week."