Topeka — A measure making it easier for some candidates to request recounts has cleared the House, along with a separate bill intended to help counties clean up their voter legislation lists.
The recount bill passed on a vote of 121-2 Tuesday and went to the Senate, which approved it earlier but must now consider House amendments.
Those amendments include one to standardize polling hours in all 105 counties, including the five in the Mountain Time Zone.
Polls in those five counties now close at 8 p.m. local time. The bill would allow them to close at 7 p.m. local time, while polls in Central Time Zone counties would continue closing at 8 p.m. local time.
Under the recount proposal, a candidate for statewide or congressional office could seek recounts in some or all counties by posting a bond with the secretary of state. The measure would apply in races for president, U.S. House or Senate, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, insurance commissioner and state treasurer.
Currently, candidates must post a bond in each county where a recount is sought and all 105 for a statewide recount. Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh recommended a change, saying the current law could cause chaos.
On a 67-56 vote, the House sent Gov. Bill Graves a bill requiring Kansans to list the last four digits of their social security numbers when they register to vote. Supporters say it would help county officials clean up voter registration lists.
Opposition came from members who saw the proposal as an invasion of privacy.
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