By Emma Halling

Starting this year, each person registering to vote for the first time in Kansas must provide proof of citizenship. Though intended to prevent greatly hyped though rarely documented “voter fraud,” this requirement both disenfranchises voters and puts Kansans at risk for identity theft.

Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s documentation requirements have rendered voter registration drives an impossibility. To fully register a first-time voter, volunteers must either take a photo of a document proving citizenship, such as a birth certificate, passport or naturalization document, or obtain a copy.

Many people who would otherwise register are uncomfortable surrendering sensitive documents into the hands of a volunteer they don’t know. At least one bipartisan organization that historically has registered hundreds of new voters is no longer performing voter registration, to avoid liability for any possible breach of confidential documents.

Currently there are approximately 18,000 voters unable to vote in state and local elections because they have not yet submitted proof of citizenship. For perspective, the number of suspended voters is currently greater than the population of Atchison County.

Finally, the Secretary of State’s Office says that voter applicants should submit their proof of citizenship either by mail, in person or via an email or fax. Having people submit scanned copies or photos of their personal documents by fax or email is dangerous and exposes Kansans to identity theft and information compromise.

Fax machines have no security measures preventing unwanted eyes from coming across personal information and are often located in public parts of offices. Email is vulnerable at many stages, from a sender’s unsecure Internet connection to unencrypted server storage to the possibility of the Secretary of State’s network being compromised. Sound unlikely? The massive Target data breach was less than a year ago.

Moreover, an audit of state computers released on July 22 revealed inadequate security across at least 17 government agencies. It would only take one savvy hacker to intercept the flood of valuable identity information flowing into the Secretary of State’s email.

The new proof-of-citizenship requirements are not only undemocratically cumbersome, but place thousands of Kansans at risk for identity theft just for trying to exercise their fundamental right to vote.