Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a candidate for Governor in the state of Kansas, today complied with a court order requiring him to restore the voting rights of Kansans who were removed due to his ill-fated voter suppression plan.
From the Associated Press via WIchita Eagle
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has complied with a judge’s order by fully registering thousands of voters whose eligibility to cast a ballot had been in limbo because of the state’s now-defunct proof-of-citizenship requirement, according to court records.
Some 25,000 Kansans will have their voting status solidified ahead of the Aug. 7 primary as a result of the move. Kobach is seeking the Republican nomination for governor in that election, challenging incumbent Jeff Colyer.
The victory comes in time for the August 7 primary, and it will now be up to parties and other organizations to work to mobilize these newly enfranchised voters this fall.
Kobach, who maintains prosecutorial powers thanks to moves by Kansas Republicans in the state house, still intends on encouraging county clerks to collect proof of citizenship — so that later prosecutions could be possible.
Kobach had previously faced a different brand of uproar over the collection of this information when in his short time heading President Trump's Voter Suppression task force he had sent letters to all states asking for similar data, including social security numbers, leading security officials to become concerned about the safety of providing such information.
From Bryan Lowry at KCStar:
Kobach said Friday that Kansas, at least for now, also won’t be sharing Social Security information with the commission, on which he serves as vice chairman. The state will share other information about the state’s registered voters, including names and addresses, which are subject to the state’s open records laws.
For today though, Kobach suffers a major setback — and voters in Kansas a major victory.