Kansas lawmakers advance bill on ballot signature problems

A bill aimed at having Kansas election officials throw out fewer ballots over problems with voters' signatures has broad, bipartisan support.

The Kansas Senate approved the measure Wednesday, 40-0, sending it to the House.

The bill deals with mail-in ballots cast in advance of Election Day. Voters must sign the ballot envelope, and county election officials can toss a ballot if a voter forgets to sign the ballot or the signature does not match what's on file.

The bill would require election officials to notify voters if a signature is missing or doesn't match. The change would give voters an extra week to fix the problem.

Former Gov. Jeff Colyer lost last year's Republican primary by only 343 votes after hundreds of mail-in ballots weren't counted over signature problems.