Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has vetoed a bill that puts restrictions on the use of federal funds for elections and election-related activities without approval from the legislature

In a veto message issued Monday, the governor said Senate Bill 5 “ is not just unnecessary micromanagement; it undermines our ability to conduct secure and efficient elections. Some legislators have voiced concerns about voter fraud and foreign interference, but state and local election officials would be much more capable of addressing these threats if they received necessary funding from Congress. It doesn’t make sense to turn down these resources that make our local elections in Kansas safe, secure, and accurate.”

Legislative leaders are promising to override the veto.  Kansas Senate president Ty Masterson and House Speaker Dan Hawkins issued a joint statement, saying “Federal taxpayer money flowing into our elections threatens the integrity and opens the door to nefarious actors who might want to tip the scale in favor of partisan politics.  SB5 simply ensures that election officials cannot accept outside funds unless it’s allowed by law. It’s disappointing the governor chose to side with those who want to undermine our elections or give the appearance of mischief. We side with common sense and election security, and that’s why we’re committed to overriding her veto.”

Governor Kelly also chose to allow an election-related bill from the House to become law without her signature.  House Bill 2106 will ban contributions from foreign nationals for the support or defeat of a proposed amendment to the Kansas constitution.  She said she supports stopping foreign influence in Kansas elections, but “Federal law already prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to federal, state, or local elections. If the Legislature had crafted something similar for Kansas, I would have signed it. But this bill goes too far. I cannot sign a bill that takes away the ability of Kansans and Kansas businesses to support elections if they accept money from overseas for any purpose, not just those related to elections.”