Kansas House Bill HB2016

Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/16/25
• Refer: 1/16/25
• Report Pass: 2/13/25
• Engrossed: 2/19/25
• Refer: 2/20/25
• Report Pass: 3/10/25
• Enrolled: 4/10/25
• Passed: 4/10/25

Caption

Including funeral home online obituary notices as sufficient grounds for removal of a deceased voter from the voter registration books; requiring that poll workers be citizens of the United States and live within the state of Kansas; prohibiting the disqualification of active military members, spouses or other dependents who are citizens of the United States as poll workers on the basis of residency or being a registered voter; relating to advance voting ballot applications; modifying the requirements for soliciting registered voters to submit advance voting applications.

Summary

HB2016 makes several changes to Kansas election law focused on voter registration maintenance, poll worker eligibility, and advance voting by mail. First, it adds an online obituary notice published by a funeral home located in the county as a sufficient basis for removing a deceased voter from the registration books, alongside existing sources such as newspaper obituaries, death certificates, and state death records. Second, it revises qualifications for poll workers by requiring judges and clerks to be U.S. citizens and Kansas residents, while also protecting active-duty military members and their spouses or dependents from being disqualified solely because they do not meet residency or registered-voter requirements. The bill also tightens and clarifies procedures for advance voting ballot applications. It requires signature verification and identification for mailed advance ballot requests, sets out how provisional ballots are handled when identification is missing or mismatched, limits who may mail solicitations for advance voting applications, and imposes labeling and disclosure requirements on such mailings. It further restricts mailing of advance ballot applications to Kansas residents or domiciliaries and authorizes the attorney general to investigate complaints and seek civil penalties for violations. In addition, HB2016 updates rules for voters who change names or addresses, including when they may vote provisionally or apply for advance ballots and when county election officers may update or remove registration records. It preserves existing protections against improper removal from the voter rolls by requiring notice and waiting periods in certain circumstances, while also clarifying that a voter removed from the permanent advance voting list is not thereby removed from the registration list. The bill amends and repeals portions of the Kansas statutes governing voter registration, advance voting, and poll worker qualifications. The overall sentiment appears generally supportive among lawmakers, as reflected by strong passage in both chambers and unanimous Senate votes on final action and the conference report. The House votes were also decisive, though not unanimous, indicating some minority opposition. The bill’s content suggests a mix of election administration and election-integrity concerns, with broad agreement on administrative updates but some disagreement likely centered on the added identification, residency, and solicitation restrictions. The main points of contention are likely the tighter controls on advance voting ballot solicitations and the new residency/citizenship requirements for poll workers, especially the restriction that only Kansas residents or domiciliaries may mail ballot applications and the enforcement mechanism through attorney general complaints and civil penalties. At the same time, the military-related exception for poll workers appears designed to address fairness concerns for service members and their families, suggesting an effort to balance access and administrative safeguards.

Impact

HB2016 amends Kansas election statutes governing voter registration maintenance, advance voting, and election worker qualifications. It expands the grounds for removing deceased voters from registration records, changes who may serve as poll workers, and revises procedures and restrictions for requesting advance voting ballots by mail. The bill also creates or clarifies enforcement tools, including complaint-based investigation and civil penalties for improper mailing of advance ballot applications, and it repeals the prior versions of the affected statutes.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have received generally favorable treatment in the Legislature, passing the House by a wide margin and the Senate unanimously on final action and conference report. The vote pattern suggests broad bipartisan acceptance of the bill’s administrative election changes, though the House’s nontrivial number of no votes indicates some concern about the stricter voting-related requirements. Overall, the sentiment was supportive, with the final version acceptable to both chambers.

Contention

The most notable areas of disagreement are likely the bill’s tighter rules for advance voting ballot solicitation and its new eligibility standards for poll workers. Critics may view the residency and citizenship requirements, the signature and identification verification rules, and the attorney general enforcement provisions as burdensome or restrictive, while supporters likely see them as safeguards against fraud or improper ballot distribution. The military exception for poll workers appears to mitigate one potential fairness concern, but the bill still reflects a broader tension between election access and election administration controls.