KS Supreme Court says state constitution does not include right to vote

A case in the Kansas Supreme Court showcased a clear divide between the justices and ultimately ended with a very interesting verdict.

Kansas' Supreme Court has ruled that the state's constitution does NOT include the right to vote.

The case before the high court was a result of several challenges to a 2021 election law.

Probably the most controversial part was the fact that the four of the court's justices "stated there is no right to vote enshrined in the Kansas Constitution's Bill of Rights."

The three dissenting judges were FURIOUS over this decision.

MSN.com is reporting that the measure in question "requires election officials to match the signatures on advance mail ballots to a person’s voter registration record. The state Supreme Court reversed a lower court’s dismissal of that lawsuit, but the majority rejected arguments from voting rights groups that the measure violates state constitutional voting rights."

Justice Eric Rosen, one of the dissenters, was absolutely flabbergasted by his colleague's decision:

"It staggers my imagination to conclude Kansas citizens have no fundamental right to vote under their state constitution," Rosen said. "I cannot and will not condone this betrayal of our constitutional duty to safeguard the foundational rights of Kansans."

Justice Caleb Stegall, writing for the majority, explained their position. While it may seem odd to some that there is no right to vote included in Kansas' constitution, "It simply is not there."

Supreme Court justices, including at the state level, are supposed to interpret the constitution, not impart their own personal biases on it.

Even if the justices who dissented believe that the state's Constitution SHOULD include the right to vote, that does not mean the Constitution actually contains language that guarantees a "fundamental right to vote."

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