Voter registration

The SAVE Act could force eligible voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship in order to register and vote. But the lack of resources, potential to disenfranchise applicants and criminal penalties worry some county clerks in Missouri.

A Missouri judge threw out a lawsuit from the Missouri NAACP and other groups challenging the state's law requiring a government-issued ID to vote. But the plaintiffs say "the court got the test wrong" and ignored the burden the law places on voters.

Missouri voters: Oct. 9 is your deadline to register to vote for the November election. The deadline for Kansas is Oct. 15.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is leading a multi-state federal lawsuit against a Biden administration executive order from 2021, which asks federal agencies to help register U.S. citizens to vote.

A 2022 Kansas law made it illegal to "represent oneself as an election official," but voting rights groups said it could potentially outlaw voter registration drives. The GOP-supported law was part of a wave of voting suppression legislation passed after the 2020 election.

In one corner of Wyandotte County, only about 3% of voters participated in the last election — and it's not because they don't care. Plus: We'll hear from a newly naturalized American citizen in Kansas City who's excited about their first chance to vote this year.

In last year’s election for mayor, county commission and other Wyandotte County races, 11 of the 337 people who were eligible voted in one section of the 2nd Precinct. But it wasn't because they don't care, as non-voters are often portrayed. They have reasons for staying home on Election Day.

The law upheld by the court says it’s a felony offense for a person to collect and turn in more than 10 advance ballots for other people. Another controversial measure, which criminalizes impersonating an election official, will be sent back to the district court.

New Republican-backed laws in several states — including Missouri and Kansas — threaten large fines or criminal penalties for minor mistakes in voter registration work. As groups pull back, they're reaching fewer voters.

Officials in Missouri voting offices worry about Election Day problems, especially for voters who have recently moved, since the state pulled out of a collaboration that helps check voter rolls for accuracy.

The Kansas Supreme Court has revived a challenge to a law that caused voter advocacy groups to cancel registration drives.

A Missouri trial that wraps up this week could determine the fate of the state’s controversial voter ID law and shape the results of the 2024 election. At stake are requirements that some say are intentionally designed to suppress votes in Democratic-leaning metro areas.