ANTI-ELECTIONEERING LAW UPHELD

A federal district judge has ruled that a Kansas law prohibiting electioneering within 250 feet of a polling site is constitutional and does not infringe on First Amendment rights. District Judge Holly Teeter dismissed a challenge brought against Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt and the Johnson County Election Commissioner by individuals from Douglas, Johnson and Sedgwick counties and the group Kansas for Change, Inc. The plaintiffs claimed their First Amendment speech rights were violated by the state’s restriction on interacting with voters within 250 feet of polling sites. Teeter said the Kansas law is constitutional, and said all 50 states have laws restricting electioneering to address problems of voter intimidation and election fraud. She said the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that there is a compelling interest in protecting citizens’ right to vote and preserving election integrity that justifies limits on electioneering near polling places.