Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has directed the League of Women Voters of Kansas to cease paying people to register to vote.
According to a letter Kobach sent to LWVK, his office was notified that at a May 2026 registration event in Leavenworth County, the group distributed gift cards to individuals in exchange for registering to vote.
“Under federal law, it is a crime to knowingly pay a person ‘either for registration to vote or for voting,'” Kobach wrote. “There is no de minimis exception and all payments of any amount are prohibited. Violations are punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and imprisonment of up to five years. Under state law, it is a crime to offer any benefit to induce a person to vote. The conduct which the League of Women Voters is alleged to have engaged in appears to violate both federal and state law.”
According to a release from Kobach’s office, public posts from the local League chapter advertised and depicted the distribution of $5 Starbucks gift cards to students who registered to vote, including a table sign reading, “Register to vote get a $5 Starbucks gift card.”
Kobach directed the organization to:
- Immediately cease offering cash, gift cards, or any other item of value in connection with voter registration or voting;
- Preserve all records, including electronic records, relating to this activity, including all financial records and registration forms collected;
- Identify all instances, including the date and location, in which the League of Women Voters has engaged in any similar practice in Kansas involving distribution of cash, gift cards, or any other items of value in exchange for voter registration or voting; and
- Respond to this letter in writing, within 30 days, with the above information and stating whether your apparently unlawful election practices have ceased.
Kobach said the matter was referred to the United States Attorney for the District of Kansas for investigation and review.
United States Attorney for the District of Kansas Ryan Kriegshauser’s office confirmed to The Sentinel that they had been notified of the referral.
The National League of Women Voters responded to the letter.
“The League of Women Voters is aware of the allegations regarding a voter registration event conducted by the League of Women Voters of Leavenworth County and the Kansas Attorney General’s inquiry,” the statement read. “We understand that League leadership in Kansas is cooperating fully with the inquiry. The League is committed to complying with all federal, state, and local election laws governing voter registration activities.”
“Compliance with all federal, state, and local election laws is a fundamental expectation of League voter registration activities nationwide.”
