kris kobach -voter suppression

[anaturalwoman]

For anyone not so familiar with Kris Kobach from KS and Koch-backed corrupt attempts to suppress the vote --this piece is a must. Trump has put Pence and Kobach in charge of a phony investigation bent on more voter repression in the guise of "election integrity." The ole doublespeak from 1984.

"By making Kobach a co-chair for this commission, Trump has announced its actual purpose: to impose new strict requirements for voting and registration under the guise of “election integrity.” And while the commission may include Democrats, Kobach’s presence robs it of any credibility. It is a farce...In the aftermath of 2013’s Shelby County v. Holder, in which the Supreme Court struck down key parts of the Voting Rights Act, Kobach emerged as a major voice for voter suppression. He has backed strict ID laws and pushed for states to require a birth certificate or passport for registration, measures that primarily burden low-income voters, including many voters of color. From his perch as Kansas’ top election official, Kobach has launched a crusade against “illegal voting,” winning power from state lawmakers to prosecute “voting crime.” In keeping with most studies of voter fraud—which find little to no evidence of its existence—Kobach has found just nine cases of alleged fraud out of 1.8 million registered Kansas voters."

"Who votes—and more broadly, who counts—is one of the most contested questions in American politics. If there’s anything that distinguishes today from the past in this regard, mostly universal suffrage aside, it’s that this is a fully partisan question. With few exceptions, Republicans press for restrictions, while Democrats push for expansion. "
[Note: The GOP has noted/admitted, in the past, that greater voter turnout harms their chances...]

On slate: The Presidential Advisory Commission on Voter Suppression

AND a piece on VOX opining on 7 reasons we progressives might be optimistic: