Topeka ? Kansas voters wanting to switch parties before the Aug. 5 primaries will face a much tighter window under a bill signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Sam Brownback.

House Bill 2210 was pushed forward by the Kansas Republican Party, whose officials said Democrats and others were switching to the GOP for the primary election to either vote for the weakest candidate or the one most aligned with their political beliefs.

The new law prohibits voters registered with a political party from switching their affiliation between the June 1 candidate filing deadline until after results from the August party primaries are certified.

Previous law allowed voters to change their registration up to two weeks before the primary.

Democrats said the measure signed by Brownback, a Republican, was an infringement on voters’ rights.