Judges: Robert T. Stephan, Attorney General
Filed Date: 6/1/1993
Status: Precedential
Modified Date: 7/5/2016
Mr. Steven W. Hirsch Decatur County Attorney P.O. Box 296 Oberlin, Kansas 67749
Dear Mr. Hirsch:
As attorney for Decatur county, you request our opinion regarding the authority of the county election officer to remove names of voters from registration lists. Specifically, you ask whether the county election officer may remove from registration lists those names of persons who have been convicted of felonies and have not had their civil rights restored.
In the research you submitted with your request, you question the constitutionality of K.S.A. 1992 Supp.
Section
"The legislature may, by law, exclude persons from voting because of mental illness or commitment to a jail or penal institution. No person convicted of a felony under the laws of any state or of the United States, unless pardoned or restored to his civil rights, shall be qualified to vote."
A similar provision has existed in the state constitution since its adoption and ratification in 1859.
In ascertaining the meaning of a constitutional provision, the primary duty of the courts is to look to the intention of the makers and adopters of that provision. Board of Wyandotte County Comm'rs. v. Kansas Ave.Properties,
K.S.A. 1992 Supp.
"(7) Dispositions which do not involve commitment to the custody of the secretary of corrections and commitments which are revoked within 120 days shall not entail the loss by the defendant of any civil rights."
It is further provided in K.S.A. 1992 Supp.
"When an inmate on parole or conditional release has performed the obligations of the release for such time as shall satisfy the Kansas parole board that final release is not incompatible with the best interest of society and the welfare of the individual, the parole board may make a final order of discharge and issue a certificate of discharge to the inmate but no such order of discharge shall be made in any case within a period of less than one year after the date of release except where the sentence expires earlier thereto. Such discharge, and the discharge of an inmate who has served the inmate's term of imprisonment, shall have the effect of restoring all civil rights lost by operation of law upon commitment, and the certificate of discharge shall so state."
The constitution is to be liberally construed to give to the lawmaking power all freedom not positively prohibited by the constitution. Westoverv. Schaffer,
It is clear that under section
Pursuant to K.S.A. 1992 Supp.
"(e) Except as otherwise provided by law, when a voter dies or is disqualified for voting, the registration of the voter shall be void, and the county election officer shall remove such voter's name from the registration books and the party affiliation lists. Whenever (1) an obituary notice appears in a newspaper having general circulation in the county reports the death of a registered voter, or (2) a registered voter requests in writing that such voter's name be removed from registration, or (3) a court of competent jurisdiction orders removal of the name of a registered voter from registration lists, or (4) the name of a registered voter appears on a list of deceased residents compiled by the secretary of health and environment as provided in K.S.A.
65-2422 , and amendments thereto, or appears on a copy of a death certificate provided by the secretary of health and environment, or (5) pursuant to K.S.A.25-2316d , and amendments thereto, a registered voter fails to vote in two consecutive state general elections the county election officer shall remove from the registration books and the party affiliation lists in such officer's office the name of any person shown by such list or death certificate to be deceased.
. . . .
"(g) Except as otherwise provided in this section, no person whose name has been removed from the registration books shall be entitled to vote until such person has registered again." K.S.A. 1992 Supp.
25-2316c (emphasis added).
Pursuant to section
Very truly yours,
ROBERT T. STEPHAN Attorney General of Kansas
Richard D. Smith Assistant Attorney General
RTS:JLM:RDS:jm
Martindale v. Tenny , 250 Kan. 621 ( 1992 )
Westover v. Schaffer , 205 Kan. 62 ( 1970 )
Early Detection Center, Inc. v. Wilson , 248 Kan. 869 ( 1991 )
Colorado Interstate Gas Co. v. Board of County Commissioners , 247 Kan. 654 ( 1990 )
Board of County Comm'rs v. Kansas Ave. Properties , 246 Kan. 161 ( 1990 )