Voting by the Book

The first regulation concerning voting under the United States’ Constitution occurs in Article 1, Section 4 which states, “The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of choosing Senators.” As the previous passage notes, the selection of Senators originally had a different procedure. Each state chose its own Senators.

Members of the House of Representatives served two-year terms and all members were up for reelection at the end of their terms, while Senators served six-year terms and 1/3 of Senators faced reelection at the end of their terms.

The Constitution mandated only white male property owners over the age of 21 could vote. The 14th Amendment provided voting rights for any men born or naturalized in the United States and the 15th Amendments abolished earlier electoral restrictions mostly for newly freed slaves. New requirements such as poll taxes and literacy tests emerged to disenfranchise voters. The 17th Amendment changed the procedure for electing Senators making this decided by popular votes in the states. The 19th Amendment granted the vote to women. The 1924 Indian Citizenship Act gave Native Americans the right to vote. The 1964 Civil Rights Act established the right to vote for anyone over the age of 21 to vote regardless of race, religion, or education. A year later, the 1965 Voting Rights Act eliminated literacy tests and allowed the federal government to enforce these policies. The 24th Amendment eliminated poll taxes. The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18. The Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act requires accessibility at all polling sites.

Despite this extensive federal legislation, the states still supervise their own elections with various requirements specific to each state. In Kansas, a voter must present a valid photo ID. If a voter does not present ID, that vote is submitted as provisional ballot. The voter must verify identity in person or via mail or email before the canvassing of votes. • Kansans may register to vote in person or online at https://www.kdor.ks.gov/Apps/VoterReg/Default. aspx • If you plan to vote by mail, you must register by

October 13, 2020.

• The deadline for requesting a mail ballot is October 27, 2020.

• State law allows in-person advance voting to begin up to 20 days before election day at county election offices or satellite voting locations. • All counties must offer in-person advance voting no later than one week before election day. • Early voting in Kansas runs from October 14, 2020 to November 2 at noon, but may vary by

county. Check with your county election office.

For Kansas Election FAQs, check out: https://www.sos.ks.gov/elections/elections-faq.html