Kansas lawmakers pushed two election bills through both chambers, moving measures that would cross-reference voter rolls with a federal immigration database and conditionally limit no-excuse mail-in voting, and the package now heads to the governor where a veto is possible.

The Kansas House approved HB 2437 by an 80-43 vote and HB 2569 by a 78-45 vote, and the Senate cleared both measures 28-12. Both tallies fell just short of the two-thirds margin needed to override a veto, leaving the governor with the deciding power. Republicans argue these steps tighten election integrity without stripping legitimate access.

HB 2437, labeled the SAVE Kansas Act, is the clearer of the two bills and gives the Secretary of State authority to compare state driver and voter records to the federal SAVE database twice a year. The idea is to identify noncitizen registrations and keep rolls accurate on a recurring schedule. That bill also wraps in tighter controls around how voters are registered and how agencies share information.

• Limits voter registration websites to .gov domains or state-approved sites
• Requires county elections officials to remove individuals from voter rolls when a funeral home publishes that person’s obituary
• Mandates that state agencies registering people to vote share personal information, including Social Security numbers, with the Secretary of State’s Office
• Includes provisions requiring SAVE data and voter information to be processed securely in accordance with state and federal protection standards

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who is running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, applauded the bill’s passage in a Thursday news release:

“This legislation reflects our commitment to maintaining accurate voter rolls while protecting the rights of every eligible Kansas voter for decades to come.”

HB 2569 is built around a trigger tied to legal challenges and carries the more complex consequence for mail-in voting. It funnels all voting-rights lawsuits into Shawnee County and directs the Secretary of State to monitor signature verification litigation across the state. If any judge invalidates or enjoins a signature verification rule, voters without a qualifying excuse would not be allowed to use no-excuse advance mail voting.

The bill originally contained only the venue provision to concentrate challenges in Shawnee County District Court in Topeka, but lawmakers amended it during negotiations. House Elections Committee Chairman Pat Proctor, a Leavenworth Republican running for Secretary of State, inserted the mail-in trigger as part of that deal. Supporters say tying venue reform to verification standards ensures predictable, statewide handling of election disputes.

Democrats raised objections loudly on the floor, questioning both legal and practical elements of the bills. Rep. Kirk Haskins, the ranking minority member on the House Elections Committee, argued against using the SAVE database for voter checks: “It is a violation of federal law, yet we are still going to ask that this bill be passed.” He added that the bill contained legal errors and pressed colleagues with a terse, “What are we doing?” as he urged them to drop the measures.

Other Democrats framed the package as an attack on expanded voting options, with Rep. Stephanie Sawyer Clayton calling HB 2569 part of “a war of attrition” on advanced voting. That line dramatizes the change, but the bill keeps mail-in ballots available for people with valid excuses like temporary out-of-state residence, sickness, disability, or religious reasons. The conditional restriction only kicks in if a court strips away signature verification requirements, which proponents view as a basic anti-fraud tool.

The Democratic critique essentially casts accuracy efforts as suppression, a stance Republicans reject out of hand. Cleaning rolls and verifying signatures are presented by supporters as common-sense safeguards, not obstacles to participation. Most voters, according to Republican messaging, want both secure and accessible elections.

Not every Republican fell in line. Rep. Ken Rahjes of Agra broke with the majority in an impassioned plea against HB 2569, saying, “Mail-in ballots are good for most Kansans.” His point highlights the trade-offs at play: rural residents, military families, and seniors rely on mail ballots, and any restriction hits those groups hard. Yet bill backers insist HB 2569 does not abolish mail voting outright but links its broader availability to courts upholding verification rules.

The next step is squarely with the governor, since the votes failed to clear the veto override threshold in both chambers. If she rejects the package, Republicans would need to persuade a handful of colleagues in each chamber to change their votes and sustain an override. Proctor’s strategy of pairing venue consolidation with the mail-in trigger forces the governor to accept or reject both elements together.

Kansas Republicans argue these measures are about verification and preserving signature checks, not shutting anyone out of the process. The debate shows a split between strict security advocates and those worried about practical access, underscoring the political stakes ahead of the gubernatorial decision. Eighty House members and twenty-eight senators agreed. Whether that’s enough depends on one person in the governor’s mansion.