Elections committee advances bill to repeal mail-only ballot law

At a Committee on Elections meeting, members voted to pass House Bill 2503 favorably out of committee. The bill, as the reviser explained, would repeal the statute governing elections in which all ballots are mailed and add conforming amendments to statutes that reference that act.

Vice Chairman (speaker 3) moved to pass the bill and Representative Sutton seconded. Minority member Reinking (speaker 4) said he could not support the measure because the committee had not been given a ‘‘true justification’’ for repeal and because, he said, the change could limit Kansas’ ability to innovate in election administration. The chair responded by citing testimony received during interim work that raised anomalies on the voter rolls, including reports that the rolls listed more residents ages 65 and older than state population estimates for that cohort, a concern the chair said supported the proposal to restrict mail-only elections.

The motion carried. Several members—identified in the record as Representatives Moseley, Simmons and Meyer and the ranking minority member—asked that their no votes be recorded.

What happens next: By passing HB2503 out of committee, the bill will be placed on the House calendar for further consideration. The committee’s record shows both the proponent arguments for preventing perceived roll abuses in mail-only elections and recorded dissent over the sufficiency of justification and potential limits on future election administration.

"It limits Kansas, which used to be a leader," minority member Reinking said on the floor, arguing the change could constrain future innovations in election management. The chair said public testimony and earlier committee work informed his floor arguments about voter-roll accuracy.