TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ GOP-controlled Legislature showed Thursday that it’s likely to pass a bill eliminating the three extra days state voters get to return mail-in ballots after an election, highlighting the influence election conspiracy theories still hold over Republicans’ thinking.
But the vote totals in the Kansas House and Senate strongly suggested conspiracy theory backers don’t have the clout to overcome Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s possible opposition. Each chamber approved its own, separate version of the bill but each fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to override any possible veto.
GOP lawmakers voted unanimously in 2017 to create the three-day grace period. That came amid concerns a restructuring of the U.S. Postal Service’s mail-sorting operations had slowed the delivery of ballots.
