Kansas House votes to repeal Mail Ballot Election Act in party-line vote
GOP-backed election overhaul advances on 72-50 vote; Democrats call it voter suppression
TOPEKA — The Kansas House passed HB 2503 on Thursday, repealing the state's Mail Ballot Election Act on a largely party-line 72-50 vote. The measure eliminates the framework that allowed certain local elections — including those for school boards, water districts and municipal special elections — to be conducted entirely by mail.
All 72 yes votes came from Republicans, while 50 lawmakers voted no, including all House Democrats and a handful of moderate Republicans. The bill now heads to the Senate.
The repeal was one of two election-related measures to clear the chamber Thursday. The House also passed HB 2569 on a 74-48 vote, requiring all state court challenges to the constitutionality of Kansas election laws to be filed in Shawnee County District Court in Topeka. Democrats and some rural Republicans opposed the venue restriction, arguing it would make it harder for voters outside the capital to challenge election laws. Taken together, the two bills reflect the Kansas GOP's continued push to tighten election administration — a priority driven by national Republican concerns about ballot integrity, though critics say the measures solve problems that do not exist in the state.
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