As the 2018 Kansas gubernatorial election draws nearer by the day, the often scary reality of partisan policy change follows suit, and Republican candidate Kris Kobach proposed multiple promises throughout his campaign that will do nothing but hurt Kansas students and youth.

Often known for steamrolling Kansas and the United States with anti-voter-fraud initiatives, Kobach has shifted his crusade into one that is more topical and frightening to student voters — education.

Since entering the public eye in 2011 as secretary of state under former Kansas governors Mark Parkinson and Sam Brownback, Kobach’s conservatism regarding most issues made him widely popular to Kansas voters.

This same conservatism took shape in his education plan, as Kobach intends to rid undocumented students of in-state tuition. In a July speech given at a pro-ICE rally in Wichita, Kobach claims that “670 illegal aliens [are] taking advantage of in-state tuition,” and later proposed to forbid this opportunity entirely — meaning, the 670 undocumented students enrolled in any higher education school as of fall 2017 would be paying out-of-state tuition.

Kobach places false blame on undocumented students receiving in-state tuition as the cause of the 10.2 million dollar tuition increase in 2017 and estimated 12.9 million dollar increase in 2018 according to Kansas Board of Regents. Rather, if undocumented students were to pay out-of-state tuition, only 2.3 million would be made in contrast to the four million proposed by Kobach.

Undocumented students did not cause Kansas’s drastic tuition increase. Instead, it was caused by Congress and former Gov. Brownback’s lack of care or regard for the students of Kansas.

Kobach’s plan for implementing out-of-state tuition for undocumented students who have lived in Kansas for at least three years and graduated from a Kansas high school, means the abrupt end of educational opportunity for hundreds of youth. The lack of affordability makes college or university almost impossible to nearly all undocumented students across Kansas, as many use this as hope for a better, brighter future.

Not only does the status quo make economical sense, but it also affords students — regardless of their citizenship status — the chance of an equal and fair education, as they are protected federally under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Kansas is one of only 18 states to extend this opportunity to Dreamers. This acts as a shining light in the ever-growing darkness of the immigration debate, and Kobach’s full intention is to snuff it out.

As members of the younger and biggest voting community, it is vital to use Tuesday, Nov. 6 to, alongside students of any age, teachers and administrators, protect those who are undocumented in our state.

The government’s inability to properly fund public schools is their own fault and no one else’s. Voters need to take into consideration candidates’ proposed policy and how it will affect constituents’ lives forever.