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Lawsuit: Kansas altered software to hide election records

Kansas capitol
Posted at 8:27 PM, Jul 21, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-21 21:27:51-04

BELLE PLAINE, Kan. — A judge is considering whether Kansas’ Republican secretary of state ran afoul of the state’s open records law by ordering the removal of an election database function that generates a statewide report showing which provisional ballots were not counted.

Civil rights advocates said the decision will have far-reaching implications for government transparency.

Shawnee County District Judge Teresa Watson heard arguments last week in a lawsuit filed by voting rights activist Davis Hammet.

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab has ordered the removal of a database function after a court last year ruled that the information is a public record.