Citizens in Charge

(LAKE RIDGE, VA) – Today, Citizens in Charge Foundation, a national voter rights group focused on the ballot initiative and referendum process, presented Kansas Attorney General Steve Six with the September 2010 Lilburne Award. Steve is honored this month for agreeing with, rather than fighting, the plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging Kansas’ residency requirement for petition circulators, which resulted in U.S. District Judge Sam Crow permanently enjoining enforcement of the statute as an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment rights of citizens.

“The ruling by Judge Crow is great news for Kansans,” said Citizens in Charge Foundation President Paul Jacob. “But the role played by Kansas Attorney General Six was truly inspiring. He stood up for the rights of the people, rather than blindly defending a statute that violates those rights.”

The Kansas statute bans petition campaigns in the state from hiring people from other states to circulate petitions. The lawsuit was filed by the Constitution Party of Kansas because the residency requirement restricted their ability to gather signatures to become a recognized political party in the state. Rather than defend the statute, Attorney General Six’s office joined the call for the residency requirement to be ruled unconstitutional.

“Attorney General Steve Six deserves special recognition for setting an example other state attorneys general should follow,” Jacob added. “The AG is the state’s highest law enforcement official and has a solemn responsibility to defend our fundamental rights – even against legislative enactments, when necessary.”

Read more here.