US Supreme Court ruling could help Kansas defend voting laws

(AP) — A U.S. Supreme Court ruling narrowing the Civil Rights-era federal Voting Rights Act could help Kansas defend election measures enacted by Republican state legislators. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the assessment of Thursday’s decision came from both Republican state Attorney General Derek Schmidt and veteran election-law attorney Mark Johnson. The new state laws took effect Thursday and are being challenged in separate lawsuits in federal and state courts. Kansas now limits the number of absentee ballots people can deliver to election officials for others and bars out-of-state groups from mailing absentee ballot applications to voters. Supporters say the changes prevent fraud, while critics argue that they limit help for voters.