Here's how you can register to vote in Kansas, and why it's a good idea to do it soon

Even though it is only May, the Aug. 2 primary will be here before long. And in Kansas, it's critical for those wishing to vote to make sure their registration is up to date before that time.

Why? Because Kansas requires residents to register 21 days prior to a primary or election. That means those who want to vote in the primary must be registered on or before July 12.

For the general election, residents must register by Oct. 18. This can be done online at the Kansas Secretary of State's website, which also provides more information.

This stands in stark contrast to states like Colorado, Utah and Iowa, which all feature same day registration, and may cause some to miss out on voting.

"It's harder to get people's attention when you have this deadline out there," said Vicki Buening, the vice president of the Shawnee County chapter of the League of Women Voters.

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How do groups like the League of Women Voters help people register?

The League of Women Voters is a non-profit organization that can trace its roots back to the suffragette movement.

In the early 19th century, women were not permitted to vote, and the suffragettes set out to change that through marches, rallies and other events.

In the United States, this culminated in the 19th Amendment.

Now, the league has evolved into an organization that can help people register to vote, and spread the word about deadlines and precise details of the registration.

"We are giving people information on how they can register," Buening said. "We're not picking up registration forms at this point in time."

The league often piggy backs on big events. This includes events like NOTO's First Friday's, where Buening says the league will plan to provide information on how to register.

From 3 and 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday the league will provide voter registration information to students at Washburn University's Memorial Union, 1820 S.W. Jewell Ave.

This is a part of their efforts to reach out to groups who may need to update their information.

"A lot of students, because they're away from home, may not be registered to vote," Buening said. "And so we're we're trying to get students involved."

This also extends to local high schools, where the league will go in and provide educational programs to mostly seniors who are approaching voting age.

"That has been a very effective way of helping get younger voters immediately registered," Buening said.

New bill from legislature makes it difficult to hold registration drives

While events like registration drives may have been a normal occurrence in the past, that is not so this year thanks to HB 2183. This bill would criminalize impersonating an election official, and has caused advocacy groups to call off their drives out of fear.

This comes on the heels of other states enacting voting restrictions in some way.  Much of the league's concerns relate back to the largely ambiguous wording of the bill.

"Our folks that are in Washington, D.C. tell us ... that this provision about knowingly impersonating an election official is one of the most egregious," Jacque Lightcap, the state league president said.

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This is taking into consideration measures taken last year in about a third of states. While 18 states applied restrictive measures, 25 expanded access in some way.

However, the language of the Kansas bill is still alarming to the league, and they have asked an appeals judge to block the law.

"(The Washington Bureau) says that it is one of the most confusing and unclear and potentially harmful limitations to voter registration that they've seen," Lightcap said.

As it is, the league presently only shares information on how to register to vote, where to register to vote, and what the deadlines are.

They have not held registration drives out of fear of prosecution.

Why does voting matter?

The United States is a representative democracy. Its citizens elect officials to higher offices that ultimately shape policy locally and nationally. These representatives come in the shape of senators, members of the House of Representatives, city council members and mayors.

When casting a vote for someone, citizens must trust them to act and vote on policy issues that will be in their best interest. Or at least line up as closely with their interests as possible.

"For those people who vote you're expressing your opinion of what you think," Buening said. "And if you don't vote, you're you're letting others speak for you."

Buening said that when everyone is able to speak in a democracy, it thrives. A democracy only declines when the loudest voices are the only ones heard.

Even though politicians can be frustrating, Buening says the act of voting is critical to sustaining our democracy.

"These days, we're seeing so many threats on voting and access to voting," she said. "And we think it's even more important now that we encourage people to continue to get registered, cast their vote, even though they're frustrated."

This was the case for three new members of the league, who Buening said joined after they got sick of "yelling at the T.V."

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Here's how you can join the league

Though the name is the "League of Women Voters," anybody can join as a member and volunteer. However, Buening says that for those wanting to volunteer, they should first seek membership.

Information on how to become a member of the Shawnee County chapter can be found on their website.

The mission of the league is to create a "more perfect democracy" through nonpartisan, grassroots activism. Those who want to join may help educate other organizations, people and work throughout their communities.

"If you wanted to get involved with helping people to register that's probably one of the strongest reasons why people join the league," Buening said.

Alex Edwards is the local politics reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached via email at aedwards@gannett.com, or via twitter @AMEdwards21

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: How to ensure your Kansas voter registration is current before primary