By Sherman Smith | editor-in-chief
Good morning! A constitutional amendment — yes, there's another one — on the November ballot asserts that only citizens can vote. As you might guess, that's already in the constitution. But as constitutional law professor Amii Castle explains, it is really just a pretext for the Legislature to enact a proof of citizenship test that would block law-abiding citizens from registering to vote. (Stop me if you've heard this joke before.)
We're also reporting on former corrections employees asking the governor to commute death sentences, an immigrant charged in a stabbing death, the 25th anniversary of 9/11, the president's trade war with Canada, and the president's attempt to undermine the November election.
Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector
OPINION
Amendment on Kansas ballot this fall would provide pretext for voter suppression laws
By Amii Castle
On Nov. 3, Kansans will vote on whether to amend our state constitution, again. This time, we’ll be voting on whether to make it harder for many American citizens who live in Kansas to vote in future elections.
The proposal would amend Section 1 of Article 5 of the Kansas Constitution to state that no person can vote unless they are a United States citizen. To most of us, that sounds reasonable — people who are not citizens should not be voting. However, the proposed amendment is a solution in search of a problem that is statistically nonexistent.
The Kansas Constitution already grants every citizen (and only citizens) the right to vote. So why propose this repetitive and unnecessary amendment? It would be used by certain lawmakers as a pretext to pass laws that supposedly bar noncitizens from voting.
Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector
Former Kansas prison officials pressure governor to commute death sentences
TOPEKA — As Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s final term wanes, groups against the death penalty are pushing her to commute the death sentences of nine men convicted of capital murder in Kansas, favoring life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Former prison officials were the latest to advocate for abolishing the death penalty in Kansas. They convened Sept. 2 at the Statehouse in Topeka to discuss the death penalty’s inherent risks and deliver a letter to the governor’s office, urging her to commute the outstanding death sentences in Kansas.
Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector
Kansas attorney general says stabbing death shows need for greater police cooperation with ICE
TOPEKA — Attorney General Kris Kobach asserted a stabbing death in southwest Kansas could have been averted through compliance with a federal court order for deportation of the man later charged in the slaying.
Kobach, a Republican who is seeking reelection against Democrat Chris Mann, said the tragedy made clear why it was important for city and county law enforcement agencies in Kansas to sign cooperative agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to track down fugitives without the right to be in the United States. Currently, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, 35 counties and 10 cities have implemented collaborative pacts with ICE.
On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, States Newsroom editor remembers the heroes of Flight 93
On a rural stretch of land in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, an open meadow filled with bright wildflowers, a memorial grove of trees and a giant boulder marks the spot where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed on Sept. 11, 2001.
States Newsroom’s Pennsylvania Capital-Star Editor-in-Chief Tim Lambert recently revisited the national memorial on this field — where he happened to own a piece of land that was part of more than three dozen acres that made up the crash site.
Trump’s trade war with Canada escalates as new tariffs launch
WASHINGTON — Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on American goods kicked in Tuesday, escalating a trade war with one of the largest U.S. trading partners that President Donald Trump continued to antagonize over the holiday weekend.
Trump doesn’t have the power to limit mail-in voting, lawmakers tell US Supreme Court
The hotly contested U.S. Postal Service rule restricting mail-in voting usurps Congress’ authority, as well as states’ power to administer elections, more than 250 current and former members of Congress said in a filing to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Kansas Reflector staff will participate in the following free public forums.
3 p.m. Sept. 26, Washburn Library in Topeka. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone will participate in the panel “Why UPK: University Press of Kansas Celebrates 80 Years.” Host: Kansas Book Festival.
2 p.m. Sept. 27, Red Rocks Visitor Center in Emporia. Host: Red Rocks.
7 p.m. Sept. 29, Raven Book Store in Lawrence. Book release event for opinion editor Clay Wirestone’s “Opinionated.” Editor-in-chief Sherman Smith will moderate.
6 p.m. Oct. 12, Riverbank Brewing in Council Grove. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone talks about his book and the latest news. Host: Flint Hills Books.
5:30 p.m. Oct. 19, Frank Carlson Library in Concordia. Host: NCK Voters.
6 p.m. Dec. 3, Prairie Star Restaurant in Manhattan. Host: League of Women Voters of Manhattan and Riley County.
If you're interested in having us talk in your town, email Sherman Smith at [email protected].
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