Judge blocks Kansas law on mailed ballot applications

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) – A federal judge has permanently blocked a Kansas law prohibiting out-of-state groups from mailing advance ballot applications to voters who request them.

U.S. District Judge Kathrn Vratil on Friday declared those provisions in the law violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution and permanently enjoined the state from enforcing them.

The court ordered the state to pay the attorney fees of two national nonprofit groups who say it disenfranchises voters. The state has agreed not to appeal the order.

It partially resolves the lawsuit brought by VoteAmerica and the Voter Participation Center. In January, Vratil granted a preliminary injunction against the new law before it took effect.