Kobach directs League of Women Voters to cease paying people to register to vote

TOPEKA – (September 25, 2026) – Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach today issued a cease-and-desist letter to the League of Women Voters of Kansas and Leavenworth following a complaint from House Elections Committee Chairman Rep. Pat Proctor.

Proctor sounded the alarm about voter-registration drives held in May 2026 at Lansing High School and Leavenworth High School.

Public posts from the local League chapter advertised and depicted the distribution of $5 Starbucks gift cards to students who registered to vote, including a table sign reading, “Register to vote get a $5 Starbucks gift card.”

Federal law makes it a crime to knowingly pay a person “either for registration to vote or for voting.”

The ban applies to payments of any size, including a gift card payment. Violations are punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and imprisonment of up to five years. Kansas law likewise prohibits offering any benefit to induce a person to vote.

“Paying people to register or to vote is illegal, period,” Kobach said. “The size of the gift card does not matter. These prohibitions exist to protect the integrity of our elections and public confidence in the results. Groups may encourage registration and help eligible Kansans complete the process. They may not buy registrations.”

The letter directs the League of Women Voters of Leavenworth County to:

1. Immediately stop offering cash, gift cards, or any other item of value in connection with voter registration or voting;

2. Preserve all records relating to the activity, including financial records and registration forms collected;

3. Identify every instance in Kansas in which the organization distributed cash, gift cards, or other items of value in exchange for voter registration or voting; and

4. Respond in writing within 30 days with that information and confirm that the practice has stopped.

The Office of the Attorney General is referring the matter to the United States Attorney for the District of Kansas for investigation and review. The State reserves the right to pursue any appropriate enforcement action after further investigation.

Read the letter here.