TOPEKA – (July 16, 2026) – Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach today announced his office will file an emergency appeal to the Kansas Supreme Court, after a district court judge issued a temporary injunction reinstituting a three-day grace period for the return of mail-in ballots. More than 44,000 ballots have already gone out.

“This judge has issued an unprecedented, poorly-reasoned decision that completely upsets the election process after absentee voting has already begun,” Kobach said. “His decision will cause massive confusion for voters. The judge delayed nearly five months in issuing his opinion. He should have issued it in April at the latest. My office is filing an emergency appeal to the Kansas Supreme Court to ensure that in Kansas, Election Day is Election Day.”

In May 2025, Kansas Appleseed filed a lawsuit challenging a Kansas law that eliminated the three-day grace period for mail-in ballots arriving after Election Day. Attorneys argued the case before Judge Folsom in February with post-trial briefing due March 2. 

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