Kansas2026Passed Legislature
HB2091
Voter Registration for Discharged Inmates and New State Programs
Last scannedAug 24, 2026, 9:52 AM
In one sentence
This bill requires that discharged inmates be offered a chance to register to vote and directs state agencies and high schools to provide voter registration services.
What it does
- Requires the Secretary of State to create programs offering voter registration at specific state agencies, including those for children, aging, disability, and labor.
- Mandates that people applying for benefits from these agencies are offered the opportunity to register to vote if they have not already done so.
- Informs applicants who did not provide proof of citizenship during their benefit application that such proof is needed to finish voter registration.
- Requires accredited high schools to offer voter registration services to students aged 17 or older in cooperation with the state board of education.
- Amends laws regarding inmate discharge so that citizens whose civil rights are restored upon release must be offered a chance to register to vote.
- Creates an exception for people who try to register without being eligible, as long as they do not lie about their eligibility.
Who it affects
- Discharged inmates in Kansas who have had their civil rights restored
- Students aged 17 or older attending accredited high schools
- People applying for assistance from the Department of Children and Families, Aging and Disability Services, or Labor
- The Secretary of State and county election officers
Limits and unknowns
- The bill text does not specify a date when these new rules will begin if passed into law.
- The official status shows this bill died in committee, meaning it did not become active legislation at the time of that record.
- The specific forms or methods for submitting voter registration applications are left to be decided by future rules from the Secretary of State.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Discharged inmate
- A person who has finished their prison sentence or parole period and received a certificate stating they are released.
- Civil rights restored
- The legal return of rights, such as the right to vote, that were lost when a person was sent to prison.
- Accredited high school
- A secondary school officially approved by the state education board to operate and offer diplomas.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
Requiring discharged inmates be offered the opportunity to register to vote and requiring the secretary of state to develop a voter registration program that offers voter registration services through certain state agencies and accredited high schools.
Official activity
Bill history
- Died in CommitteeHouse
- Referred to House Committee on ElectionsHouse
- IntroducedHouse