Key Votes

SB 394 creates a "poison pill" that automatically eliminates no-excuse mail voting if any court strikes down the state's signature verification rules. If triggered, only voters who are sick, disabled, or out of the county on Election Day could vote by mail — leaving out shift workers, nurses, and hourly employees who simply can't get to the polls during work hours. The bill also forces all legal challenges to election laws into a single courthouse in Topeka, making it harder and more expensive for voters anywhere else in the state to fight back.

HB 2503 repeals the Kansas Mail Ballot Election Act, eliminating the option for local governments to conduct special elections — like school bonds, annexations, and water district questions — by mail. These are the very elections that determine funding for public services and infrastructure where union members work. Ending mail ballots for these elections creates real barriers for workers on rotating shifts, overnight schedules, or 12-hour days who can't easily get to a polling place on a Tuesday.

HB 2453 cuts off in-person advance voting before election week, moves the voter registration deadline to 25 days before the election, and requires mail ballot applications 14 days earlier. These restrictions hit shift workers, hourly employees, and newly organized members hardest — the very people who rely on weekend voting and late registration because their work schedules don't allow flexibility. The bill also compresses the window unions use for worksite voter registration drives ahead of elections.