More bad news for Kris Kobach—the worst secretary of state in the nation. The Wichita Eagle is out with a blistering op-ed from Michael A. Smith, associate professor of political science at Emporia State University, noting Kris Kobach's voting laws aren't preventing fraud, they are preventing votes:
There is real voter fraud going on in Kansas and across America. Ironically, the perpetrator is Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a noted voter-fraud alarmist, joined by his allies. Their goal is not to fraudulently cast votes, but to fraudulently suppress them.
Ouch. That's gonna leave a mark. Kobach is busy passing laws to suppress the vote. And it's by design:
Kobach’s laws suppress votes, not fraud. I recently completed research with Chapman Rackaway of Fort Hays State University and Kevin Anderson of Eastern Illinois University. Analyzing the change in turnout between 2008 and 2012, and accounting for other factors, we estimate that a county with 30 percent poverty will experience a voter-turnout drop of more than 3 percent because of the proof-of-citizenship laws Kobach favors. Indeed, under such a law, Kansas fell from 28th to 36th among the states for voter turnout between 2008 and 2012 – America’s third-largest drop. Other research finds similar effects for photo-ID laws.
Kris Kobach has a strong Democratic challenger next month—Daily Kos-endorsed Jean Schodorf. Recent polls have them in a close race, but Jean needs your help.
Can you chip in $3 to help elect Jean Schodorf for secretary of state?
Voting by mail is convenient, easy, and defeats the best of the GOP's voter suppression efforts. Sign up here to check eligibility and vote by mail, then get your friends, family, and coworkers to sign up as well.
Kansas voters deserve better than Kris Kobach.