Alva Review-Courier -

BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — A judge is considering whether Kansas' Republican secretary of state ran afoul of the state's open records law by ordering the removal of an election database function that generates a statewide report showing which provisional ballots were not counted — a decision civil rights advocates say will have far-reaching implications for government transparency.

Shawnee County District Judge Teresa Watson heard arguments last week in a lawsuit filed by voting rights activist Davis Hammet, who is the president of Loud Light, a nonprofit that strives to increase voter turnout....