Voter ID laws and turnout

A Kansas advisory committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission will hold hearings on whether the state’s voter identification laws have suppressed turnout in some areas.

The committee will seek testimony from Secretary of State Kris Kobach at the proceedings in early 2016, according to KCUR-FM. Kobach has been a champion of the stricter laws.

A General Accounting Office analysis concluded that voter turnout decreases in Kansas and Tennessee were attributable to those states’ voter ID requirements, although Kobach criticized that analysis.

“Some of the initial information with the respect to the law is that it disproportionately impacts certain age groups and certain racial categorizations,” said Elizabeth Kronk, committee chair and University of Kansas law professor.

The Kansas committee could recommend that the Civil Rights Commission review the case.

This story was originally published July 29, 2015 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Voter ID laws and turnout."