Proof of U.S. Citizenship for Voter Registration

NOTE: This requirement is effective January 1, 2013.

Evidence Required

Any person registering to vote in Kansas for the first time will be required to provide satisfactory evidence of United States citizenship. Individuals registered to vote in Kansas as of the effective date of this requirement are deemed to have submitted proof of citizenship and are exempt from the requirement as long as they remain on the voter registration list. Moving from one place to another within Kansas or modifying one's registration records does not require the person to re-submit proof of citizenship. If a voter's registration is canceled, the person must submit a citizenship document when re-registering.

If a citizenship document is not provided at the time the person submits his or her voter registration application, it may be submitted at a later time. Such person may (1) mail or deliver the document to the county election office by the close of business on the day before the election, or (2) submit it electronically by midnight the day before the election. "Electronically" means fax, email or other electronic means approved by the Secretary of State.

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Valid Citizenship Documents

Here is a list of documents that are acceptable as evidence of United States citizenship for voter registration purposes:

  • Birth certificate that verifies United States citizenship
  • United States passport or pertinent pages of the applicant's valid or expired United States passport identifying the applicant and the applicant's passport number
  • United States naturalization documents
  • Other documents or methods of proof of United States citizenship issued by the federal government pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs card number, tribal treaty card number or tribal enrollment number
  • Consular report of birth abroad of a citizen of the United States
  • Certificate of citizenship issued by the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services
  • Certification of report of birth issued by the United States Department of State
  • American Indian card, with KIC classification, issued by the United States Department of Homeland Security (Note: This document applies only to a small Texas band of the Kickapoo tribe with slightly more than 50 members.)
  • Final adoption decree showing the applicant's name and United States birthplace
  • United States military record of service showing applicant's place of birth in the United States
  • Extract from a United States hospital record of birth created at the time of the applicant's birth indicating the applicant's place of birth in the United States
  • Only if the agency indicates on the applicant's driver's license or nondriver's identification card that the person has provided satisfactory proof of United States citizenship, then a driver's license or nondriver's identification card issued by the Kansas Division of Vehicles or the equivalent governmental agency of another state within the United States


FAQs about Citizenship Verification

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Unsatisfactory Citizenship Documents

If a citizenship document submitted by a voter registration applicant is deemed unsatisfactory due to an inconsistency between the citizenship document and the (1) name or (2) sex indicated on the applicant's voter registration application, the applicant may sign a Form CDU (Español) (Affidavit of Evidence of U.S. Citizenship) explaining the inconsistency.

The applicant must state the nature of the inconsistency, the reason for it, and must swear under oath that, despite the inconsistency, the applicant is the individual reflected in the citizenship document.

A properly executed affidavit should result in the applicant being granted full registration status unless it is denied for another reason.

The date of birth on the citizenship document must match the date of birth on the voter registration application.

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No Citizenship Documents

Applicants who cannot meet the citizenship verification requirement because they do not possess any of the documents listed above to prove their U.S. citizenship may:

  • if born in Kansas, apply for a free birth certificate using Form BCA (Español), (Affidavit of Person Requesting Free Certified Copy of Birth Certificate) and Form VS-235 10/09 (Application for Certified Copy of Kansas Birth Certificate), or
  • if not born in Kansas, instructions for obtaining a birth certificate in another state or territory may be found at the National Center for Health Statistics website, or
  • appeal to the state election board for consideration of the registration application by submitting Form RCD (Español) (Request for Consideration of U.S. Citizenship Documents by State Election Board of Kansas).

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