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Bill would require DMV to report temporary driver's licenses for voter-roll checks; secretary of state supports regularized matching
Summary
House Bill 2020 would require the Division of Motor Vehicles to provide quarterly reports of temporary driver's licenses to the secretary of state so voter rolls can be checked for noncitizen registrations. Supporters cited a recent matching of roughly 30,000 TDL records that produced 171 potential matches and 80 records needing follow-up.
The Federal and State Affairs Committee heard House Bill 2020, which would direct the director of the Division of Motor Vehicles to provide quarterly reports to the Secretary of State listing temporary driver's licenses (TDLs). The secretary’s office would compare those records against the voter-registration database to identify potential noncitizen registrants.
Jason (committee staff) summarized the measure and said the bill “creates a new section of law ... that directs the director of division of motor vehicles to provide quarterly reports to the secretary of state on all driver's licenses issued to noncitizens” and that the report “specifies what the report is contained.”
Brian Kaske, standing in for the Secretary of State, told the committee Kansas is a Real ID state and said, “a person receives a temporary driver's license if they prove that they are lawfully present in the state of Kansas and are not issued a regular driver's license. So if you have a TDL, by definition, you have provided the government evidence that you are not a US citizen.”
Kaske described a recent comparison the office ran: “We reviewed approximately 30,000 individuals who had been issued a temporary driver's license against the statewide database of registered voters. We found 171 potential matches ... After further review, 80 of those records warrant additional investigation.” He said the office is using the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to follow up but that the lookup process is slow.
The bill was amended in committee in the House to clarify that the Secretary of State’s role is to compare DMV-provided information with voter rolls and that county election officers are responsible for removing ineligible voters and for notifying individuals. Jason said the bill passed the House on final action by a vote of 83 to 34 and would take effect on July 1 if enacted.
Proponents (including the Secretary of State’s office) said the change would make regular an activity the office has done periodically and would provide a more consistent source of information for list maintenance. Witnesses and committee members raised questions about how the DMV, the secretary’s office and counties would implement follow-up and who performs the ongoing checks. Missy Levitt and a letter from America First Legal were provided in neutral testimony and the ACLU of Kansas filed written opposition.
