GOP-supported changes to Kansas elections vetoed by Gov. Laura Kelly or struggle to pass

When explaining why they oppose the grace period, Republicans have raised concerns about ballots they say are arriving without postmarks after Election Day in some rural counties

“I really, really believe that we’re going to find out that there’s hundreds or thousands of ballots that are not being counted because they’re not postmarked,” said Rep. Pat Proctor, a Leavenworth Republican who chairs the House Elections Committee.

But Democrats question whether mailed ballots were actually arriving without a postmark and have suggested that a solution to any problem with postmarks rests with the postal service, not in election law. Democrats and voting rights advocates insist the three-day period is necessary to ensure mailed ballots can be counted, even if the postal service is moving slowly.

The proposal, they argue, will sow additional voter confusion. “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, a Wichita Democrat, said.

It’s unclear how many counties have been forced to toss ballots because they were not postmarked. The Kansas Secretary of State’s Office has asked county election officials to report that information. However, that will not be available until August.

In Wabaunsee County, Abby Amick, the county clerk, said ballots do not arrive at her office postmarked so she is not able to count any that arrive after 7 p.m. on Election Day.

“If the three-day grace period was put in to give voters more opportunity to get their ballot in and have it count but it’s not working out that way,” she said. “It’s not serving the voters the way it was intended.”

Davis Hammet, the president of the civic engagement group Loud Light, said local officials should be able to work with the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office and the post office to resolve the issue.

“If they found a tiny issue in a county, instead of addressing it with a post office, they want to throw out everyone else’s ballot. Which is absurd,” he said, adding that the changes to voter registration will make it harder for young Kansans to vote.

—The Star’s Katie Bernard contributed reporting