Kris Kobach had long proclaimed he knew something about voter fraud — that it was widespread and tearing our democracy apart. He promoted wild conspiracy theories, quickly debunked, regarding thousands of illegal voters. Kobach had demanded that his office have prosecutorial powers to chase down all of these illegal voters. In the process, however, what he discovered was mostly elderly Republicans who, had little ill intent, but a lot of confusion.
Brad Cooper at the Sunflower State Journal — if you’re a Kansan, it’s worth a subscribe — pointed out this week, the last of Kobach’s cases of voter fraud prosecution would come to an end, not with a bang, but a whimper.
Local prosecutors have dropped the last voter fraud case brought by former Secretary of State of Kris Kobach because of a lack of evidence.
Kobach had not provided the thousands of voters committing fraud he had promised, instead, 13 cases — none of which resulted in jail time. The list, overwhelmingly full of conservative Republicans, shows the kind of folks Kobach did catch:
Lincoln Wilson
Disposition: Guilty plea
Circumstances: Sherman County Republican — and a supporter of President Donald Trump — was accused of voting illegally in Kansas and Colorado in 2010, 2012 and 2014 elections. He spent $50,000 fighting the case before pleading guilty in 2017.
Penalty: Fined $6,000 plus $158 in court costs
Randall K. Kilian
Disposition: No contest plea
Circumstances: Snagged in the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program for voting in Kansas and Colorado in 2012. He cast a ballot in Colorado that year to vote against the legalization of marijuana. He said Ellis County authorities questioned him in 2012 and agreed he hadn’t done anything to intentionally violate the law.
Penalty: $2,500 fine plus $203 in court costs and booking fees
It’s all over now — with Kansans at least free of the ongoing legal cost chasing ghosts. Or, elderly Republicans.