Last Updated on May 3, 2021
The Kansas House of Representatives dealt a serious blow to Democrat Governor Laura Kelly’s bid to kill popular legislation, overriding her vetoes of two election reform bills as well as a bill that lowers the minimum age to legally conceal carry a handgun from 21 to 18.
House Bills 2183 and 2332 would add a significant foundation to lawmakers’ attempts to secure fair elections, including a provision to require voter organizations sending out mail-in ballots to disclose the sponsor of the application and declare that the letter is not sponsored by any local, state, or federal government agency.
The legislation would also require registrants to confirm their address and place of residence to increase election integrity, and bar judges and members of the executive branch from altering election without providing notice and obtaining consent from the Kansas Legislatures.
Another bill vetoed by Kelly was also overridden on Monday. HB 2058, gun rights legislation which would lower the minimum age to conceal carry a handgun from 21 to 18 years, was vetoed by Kelly last week but overridden in the state house.
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All three bills are now headed to the Kansas Senate, where an additional veto override will be required to advance the legislation.
Laura Kelly went on a veto spree last week, rejecting 18 separate provisions. She had already set a 17-year record for vetoes in 2021, rejecting legislation that would prevent biological males from competing in women’s sports, institute civics and financial literacy requirements in high schools, and provide gun safety education for students, and income tax cuts, among other things.
In May 2020, Kelly was prevented from using COVID-19 to require mail-in ballots and move election dates:
As President Donald Trump continues to warn about potential voter fraud generated by mail-in ballots, Kansas Republicans have now stripped Democrat Governor Laura Kelly from using the COVID-19 pandemic to either move election dates or to require mail in ballots.
According to Kansas House of Representatives Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, Republicans fought throughout the special session of congress created in response to COVID-19 to prevent the governor from obtaining additional power grabs.
On Facebook, Hawkins wrote that “Republicans fought hard this special session” to prevent Kelly “from shutting down Kansas businesses,” to “provide oversight of federal relief funds,” and allow local government “greater control.”
Republicans also prohibited the “government from mandating contact tracing” and provided “liability protections for employers and healthcare providers.”
