Kansas voters will have less time to switch parties before the Aug. 5 primary election because of a new law championed by the state Republican Party.

Party switching won’t be allowed in July, when the new policy takes effect. The ban will remain in effect until the secretary of state certifies the results of the party primaries, which usually occurs at the end of August.

In 2016, the ban on party switching will take effect in June.

Previously, Kansas voters could switch up to two weeks before the primary. The GOP-dominated Legislature approved the measure after state Republican Party leaders argued that encouraging Democratic voters to switch parties to influence GOP primaries is akin to election fraud.

Democrats argued the measure restricts voting rights.

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Associated Press information from: Lawrence Journal-World