Kobach defends voter ID law during tough questioning

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June 01, 2012|By Chris Durden | KWCH 12 Eyewitness News

(WICHITA, Kan.) — Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach faced tough questioning during a visit to Wichita on Thursday.

Kobach defended the state's voter ID law passed by the legislature last year at a meeting at the Sedgwick County Extension Education Center.

Many people at the meeting accused Kobach and Republican lawmakers of complicating the voting process to supress voter turnout among minorities, the poor and elderly.

Kobach said that's not the case. He insisted the law was necessary to prevent voter fraud.

There were 221 reported cases of voter fraud in the entire state between 1997 and 2010.

The law requires voters to show identification at the polls and beginning in January, proof of citizenship when registering to vote.

Similar laws in other states have been challenged both at the state and federal level. Attorney General Eric Holder says voter ID laws threaten people's right to vote. "The reality is that in jurisdictions across the country, both overt and subtle forms of discrimination remain all too common and have not yet been relegated to the pages of history," Holder said recently.

Kobach is holding nearly a dozen meetings around the state to inform people about the law and answer questions.

You can get more information about the new laws by going to gotVoterID.com or by calling 800-262-VOTE (8683).

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