Kansas
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.”
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.
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.
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.”
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.
Kansas
Scare at underground storage caves sends 4 to hospital, prompts evacuation
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Emergency crews treated nearly two dozen people after a carbon monoxide scare Friday morning. Four of those people were taken to hospitals.
The Kansas City Fire Department responded to a call about an unconscious person at a business located near NE Underground Drive near Missouri 210 Highway. The call came in around 8:30 a.m.
Emergency crews evacuated the business. They also began monitoring the air quality inside the area.
Crews later determined the issue was caused by high levels of carbon monoxide. Firefighters monitored the air quality for several hours after the call.
They cleared the scene shortly before 11 a.m. and people were allowed to go back to work inside the cave.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
Kansas
Severe weather sets back Kansas wheat harvest
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Severe weather and humidity are holding back the wheat harvest in Kansas and adding to historically low yields.
Justin Gilpin, the chief executive officer of the Kansas Wheat Commission said Thursday that nearly 20% of the acres planted won’t be harvested this year because of poor crop conditions.
“It’s been a challenging year for Kansas wheat farmers from production because of weather,” Gilpin said. “And ironically, the dry weather’s what caused the low, low estimates and low yields, and now, we’re seeing some crop losses because of too much rain and high humidity.”
He said some recent crop losses are piling on top of what was going to be one of the lowest productions Kansas has seen since the 1960s.
But some farmers have had more luck than others, Gilpin said.
While some are collecting yields of 10 to 15 bushels per acre, others are getting 50 per acre, depending on when the rain hits and how the wheat varieties respond.
Gilpin said harvest has been slow because farmers have had to pause for the weather multiple times.
Despite a 40% decrease in production compared to last year, Kansas remains the largest wheat producer in the United States, which Gilpin said, is being watched by people across the globe.
“A lot of eyes, you know, around the United States but also around the world are always eager to see how the bushels are going to come in from our Kansas farms because of the impact that we have,” he said.
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Kansas
Kansas City area boosted infrastructure for FIFA World Cup. Now, the games begin
An estimated 650,000 visitors will flood the Kansas City area over the course of the month-long FIFA World Cup, which chose Kansas and Missouri as the home for four teams and at least six matches.
The event catalyzed a major transportation expansion, created temporary diplomatic offices, and established dedicated health care infrastructure to support Kansas City visitors. The area is one of 11 American host cities for the North American tournament.
The first match between Mexico and South Africa begins Thursday in Mexico City.
Kansas City’s first match is scheduled for June 16 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City between Argentina and Algeria, both of which will be based in the Kansas City area for the tournament’s duration, along with the teams from the Netherlands and England.
KC2026, the area’s nonprofit World Cup planning organization, estimated Kansas City could see more than $650 million in economic activity.
As home to the tournament’s smallest host city, the states of Kansas and Missouri, and local governments will be looking to recoup $111 million in public investments dedicated to the tournament. Combined with federal funds, almost $200 million in public money has laid the foundation for the 2026 World Cup in Kansas City.
Salma Aouam, a former Fulbright Scholar and graduate student at Kansas State University, said the Kansas City area has the opportunity to capitalize on the predicted tourism influx by promoting surrounding attractions beyond the World Cup.
“They’ll visit national parks in Arkansas, visit bison farms in Missouri, and hike prairies in Kansas. They’ll experience that classic version of Midwest America, and it’s something they’ll remember long after the tournament,” Aouam said on June 4, citing her graduate research, which examined the effect of major sporting events on urban mobility.
KC2026 brought in 200 new buses to create three new bus service systems: A regional service that will connect riders to area attractions, a stadium service that will act as match-day transportation for ticket holders, and an airport service that runs between the Kansas City International Airport and downtown Kansas City every 15 minutes.
The bus systems exist on top of existing bus, car and streetcar transportation. Aouam said the expanded park-and-ride bus options should be implemented long-term, if they prove successful. She encouraged KC2026 to continue its work after the tournament to provide long-lasting transportation solutions to the region.
“All of these are big ‘ifs,’” Aouam said. “We may see a lot of confusion when international tourists land in Kansas City for the World Cup and find out they can’t walk to the stadium, like they might in other big cities or in their home countries.”
The planning committee established in Overland Park a Consular Services Center, which provides temporary diplomatic and citizen support services for Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Ecuador and Netherlands, and Curaçao.
The countries’ governments expect the World Cup to draw “significant numbers of visitors” to the Kansas City area, according to the committee.
Algeria, Argentina, England and Netherlands have base camps in the Kansas City area.
The consulates will be located at the Overland Park Convention Center. They are equipped to help with emergency passports and travel documents, citizen registration, welfare checks and coordination during legal or medical emergencies, according to the committee.
“Providing direct access to consular support services helps ensure visitors feel informed, supported and connected while they are here in our region,” said Pam Kramer, CEO of KC2026.
The University of Kansas Health System is the designated medical provider for the World Cup, offering first aid and medical care planning.
Leading up to kickoff, the health system has published a series of short, informational videos under the banner “Before the First Kick” discussing firework and burn injuries, mass casualty events, heat illness, and the difference between urgent care and emergency care.
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat representing a Kansas City-area congressional district in Kansas, delivered remarks Monday on the U.S. House floor, commemorating the start to the tournament.
“The matches will bring excitement, visitors and economic opportunity to the Kansas City metro area. And the impact won’t end when the final whistle blows,” Davids said. “The investments we’ve made in infrastructure, transportation, safety, and community development will benefit Kansas City and our surrounding communities for generations to come.”
Davids founded the Congressional FIFA World Cup 2026 Caucus, which helped lead federal preparations. The federal government allocated $625 million to the country’s host cities for safety and security costs and $100 million for transit operations. Her office estimated the tournament will generate 185,000 jobs and $17.2 billion in GDP.
But that depends on visitors actually arriving, staying and spending the projected amount of money in host cities.
A May report from the American Hotel and Lodging Association that surveyed hoteliers across the country warned of hotel bookings trailing expectations.
Between 85 and 90% of Kansas City-area respondents reported bookings were below expectations, falling short of a typical June or July without any major events, the report said.
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