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Kansas House bill would use driver’s license records to look for voters who are not citizens • Kansas Reflector

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Kansas House bill would use driver’s license records to look for voters who are not citizens • Kansas Reflector


TOPEKA — A bill proposed in the Kansas House seeks to remove people who are not U.S. citizens from the state’s voter rolls through temporary driver’s license records, invoking concern for potential disenfranchisement of Kansas voters.

A Kansas Secretary of State’s Office official said the records are “the best tool we have” to identify voters who are not U.S. citizens, of which the true number in Kansas is unknown.

There is no “magic list” disclosing all people who are not citizens in Kansas, said Bryan Caskey, the deputy secretary of state and director of elections, at a Tuesday hearing in the House Elections Committee. But the temporary driver’s license list is about as close as the office can get, he said.

“It is one of the rare pieces of factual, direct evidence of non-U.S. citizens,” Caskey said,  “and so that’s why we want the list more often because it’s, quite frankly, one of the best tools that we have to verify non-U.S. citizens being on our voter registration list.”

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The Kansas Secretary of State’s Office, which supports House Bill 2020, has received a temporary driver’s license list about six times in the past 15 years, Caskey said.

About 38,000 people in Kansas have active temporary drivers licenses as of December.

Of the state’s more than 2 million voters, state officials found 202 potential matches when comparing a temporary driver’s license list and the voter rolls. About 120 of those were false positives, and 85 warranted additional investigation. About 21 of the 85 have a voting history attached to them and would require even further investigation to determine citizenship status.

Clay Barker, general counsel to the secretary of state’s office, said nothing prevents officials from investigating a case of a potential voter who is not a U.S. citizen.

“There has to be something more than an odd last name, but if you have reason to believe someone’s a noncitizen, you can conduct an investigation and gather more information,” Barker said.

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When obtaining a driver’s license, a person must prove residency in Kansas, which could include proof of U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status. In the latter case, a temporary driver’s license is typically issued. The aim of the bill is to compare the lists of people with temporary driver’s licenses to the secretary of state’s voter rolls to determine if people who are not U.S. citizens are participating in Kansas elections.

“The list shall contain the names, addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers, dates of birth, temporary drivers’ license numbers and expiration dates of such licenses,” the text of the bill read. “The secretary of state shall compare such lists with the voter registration rolls and delete any names of noncitizens that appear on the voter rolls.”

However, the Secretary of State’s Office cannot modify voter rolls, a job reserved for county elections officials, and state officials said action cannot be taken unless they receive confirmation from an outside source of a person’s current citizenship status.

Davis Hammet, president of voting rights organization Loud Light, supported the concept of the bill but expressed concern at the Tuesday hearing over its declaratory language and lack of detail.

“The most dangerous thing you could do is assume that you can take two list and perfectly compare them,” Hammet said.

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The logistics of how the bill could be administered were missing, Hammet said. He warned oversimplification of legislation could run the risk of disenfranchising valid Kansas voters, as was the case with a law struck down in 2018 that illegally mandated Kansans show documented proof of citizenship to register to vote. The law blocked more than 35,000 Kansans from voting.

Brett Anderson, a Republican precinct committee member in Sedgwick County, questioned the difference between the proposed bill and the struck-down citizenship requirement.

“What has been passed to strengthen non-voter laws in Kansas? Isn’t this setting up for litigation when the main issue of citizenship is still in limbo in Kansas?” he asked in written public testimony.

Rep. Pat Proctor, a Leavenworth Republican and chairman of the House Elections Committee, appeared frustrated with the comparison between the unlawful proof of citizenship requirement and HB 2020. He said this bill isn’t about how voters are registered but how voter rolls are maintained.

“Anyone who tells you that non-citizens aren’t voting in Kansas is lying to you,” he said in a news release distributed before the hearing. “The fact is we don’t know because we aren’t doing much to check.”

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In litigation over the proof of citizenship requirement, then-Secretary of State Kris Kobach failed to present evidence of widespread voter fraud. Fewer than 40 people who were not U.S. citizens had registered to vote over a 20-year period.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas expressed concerns over data privacy, pandering to conspiracy theories of illegal voting and inadequate appeals processes.

“HB 2020 plays into conspiracy theories about large numbers of non-citizens voting in Kansas elections, and altering the outcome of those elections,” said Rashane Hamby, director of policy and research for the ACLU of Kansas, in written testimony. “This simply isn’t true.”

Another attempt at legislation targeting people who are not U.S. citizens is set to appear at a Thursday hearing before the same committee. It involves a constitutional amendment that would require voters be citizens, 18 years old and a resident in their assigned voting area. It is already a felony crime for someone who is not a U.S. citizen to claim they are a citizen on a voter registration form.

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Longtime KCK family-owned Mexican restaurant closing after 61 years

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Longtime KCK family-owned Mexican restaurant closing after 61 years


KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Jalisco Restaurant has been a staple in the Kansas City, Kansas, community since 1965. But after 61 years, the restaurant is closing its doors.

A sign posted on the restaurant at North 50th Street and State Avenue on Monday said:

Jalisco Restaurant will permanently close at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, May 30, 2026. Thank you for your patronage. Remember us, we will never forget you. The Hernandez Family.

  • Jalisco Restaurant KCK
  • Jalisco sign

Erika Dominguez, an employee at Jalisco’s, told FOX4 that one of their cooks, who has been there for more than 40 years, is retiring. One of the other cooks is 90, and has been with the family since the beginning.

“The family is getting older, and it is time,” she added.

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“Our wall tells the story of generations of families and Jalisco’s little angels, babies who grew up coming through our doors,” Dominguez said in a social media post earlier this year.

The Hernandez family also owned another Jalisco’s Restaurant location in KCK’s Argentine neighborhood for 48 years. That location closed in 2012. They also owned a location in Mission, Kansas, years ago.

  • Jalisco Argentine

Dominguez said the building at North 50th Street and State Avenue is for sale, and there’s also been talk about the family leasing it – but nothing is in the works at this time.



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Child killed after being struck by Amazon delivery vehicle in Kansas City

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Child killed after being struck by Amazon delivery vehicle in Kansas City


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A child is dead after being struck by an Amazon delivery vehicle Monday night in Kansas City.

The Kansas City Police Department responded to the incident just before 6:30 p.m. in the area of East Missouri Avenue and Lexington Avenue in Kansas City’s Historic Northeast neighborhood.

Preliminary investigation indicates that a marked Amazon delivery vehicle had just completed a package delivery in the area. Police said after the delivery, the driver of the vehicle began traveling westbound on East 3rd Terrace toward Woodland Avenue.

Police said at the same time, a child, under the age of 5, was playing in a grassy area of a nearby public park. The child entered the roadway and was struck by the Amazon delivery vehicle.

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The Amazon driver initially stopped at the scene but left before officers arrived, according to police.

Police said a family member attempted to follow the Amazon vehicle and inform the driver of what had happened. The driver denied involvement and left the area.

The child was pronounced dead as a result of the injuries, according to police.

Kansas City police said the investigation remains active and ongoing.

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Defiance also draw in Kansas City

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Defiance also draw in Kansas City


The Tacoma Defiance continued a weekend of Seattle vs Kansas soccer with a draw against Sporting Kansas City II. The Sporting second team has not been immune to the struggles in Kansas City, as they have started the season with six points through 9 games and a -15 goal difference. With a Defiance starting lineup featuring six players on first-team contracts, taking home three points should have been the expectation.

The first half was eerily similar to Saturday with Defiance dominating the run of play but entering the locker room with a 1-1 draw. They conceded the opening goal in the 40th minute where Charlie Gaffney and Cody Baker did not organize themselves well to cover the cross from the left side. That cross found an unmarked Shane Donovan who was able to score off a header to the near post, past academy goalkeeper Noah Newman in his first start of 2026.

Five minutes later, Baker equalized with a golazo from 25 yards out that was ripped into the upper right corner. This shot came off a clearance but the sequence right before was representative of how dangerous the left side of the team was. Peter Kingston found a cross-field ball to Sebastian Gomez, his combination play with Codey Phoenix and ability to create space on the dribble led to the cross. 

The second half was more evenly played throughout but ended the same as the first with a goal apiece. The Defiance first-teamers came through in the 57th minute when Gomez received the ball on the left touchline, dribbled and centered for Osaze De Rosario. He made a nice move around the defender and slotted the ball in the corner from the top of the box.

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SKC II scored in the 63rd minute on a corner after the initial ball wasn’t cleared. It bounced around before landing to previous goal scorer Donovan whose shot was on target but got a slight touch from Tega Ikoba.

With regulation ending in a draw, the teams went to a PK shootout where Defiance won 4–2 after Newman made two saves. Edson Carli converted the winning spot kick.

Overview

Lineup

Stats

xG

via Sounder at Heart

Shots

via Sounder at Heart

Key performers

Sebastian Gomez

Gomez is making the left winger position his own, consistently being a dangerous outlet and getting an assist in his second straight game. His dribbling and passing ability make him a creative machine out wide and he is finding dangerous passes forward illustrated by his four key passes on the evening. He also finds the pass before the pass, like in the 46th minute when he finds a little through ball from top of the box to Tsukanome on the right side of the box. This led to a dangerous cross to De Rosario but was really kickstarted by Gomez. He has grown throughout the year thus far and looks to be hitting a strong run of form.

Peter Kingston

Kingston returned to the double-pivot in this one and showed why this is probably his best position moving forward. He set the tempo for the team, keeping possession with 86% passing on 58 attempts. However, he also knew when to take the chance and had two key passes of his own. His best pass of the evening was in the 11th minute when he broke two lines on a through ball to Mark O’Neill. His versatility is a key factor in getting as many minutes as he has with the first team but performances like tonight make the case on where he should be long term.

Osaze De Rosario

De Rosario got a run out a day earlier with the first team and followed that up with a start for Defiance. He wasn’t quite as involved as is ideal with only 3 total shots but he was also in the right positions and close to finishing in the 2nd and 46th minute. He did ultimately find the back of the net in the 57th minute after receiving the ball at the top of the box, beating his defender to open up space and placing his shot in the corner. The longer run out and seeing the ball hit the back of the net will hopefully get him some rhythm for his next appearance at the first team.

Highlights

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