A bill that passed the House would move up a voter registration requirement to before this November's election. Senators say the bill's fate will depend on whether state officials are ready to put the law into effect. Current law will require potential voters to prove their citizenship when registering to vote for the first time in Kansas. But that requirement isn't set to take effect until January 2013. The bill that passed the House would move it to June of this year. Senate Majority Leader Jay Emler, a Lindsborg Republican, says senators aren't sure state officials will be ready to implement the law that soon.
Supporters of moving up the requirement say it can help prevent voter fraud and should be in effect before the fall election. A Senate committee will hold hearings to look into the issue.