Democratic legislators on Monday said the voter ID law that Secretary of State Kris Kobach pushed will deny more votes of legitimate voters than it will catch in fraudulent votes. “I’d be willing to put a $5 bill on it,” said state Rep. Ann Mah, D-Topeka. But Kobach, a Republican, said showing a photo ID to vote isn’t onerous. He said a photo ID is required in many aspects of everyday life, and he noted that Illinois was considering a law to require a photo ID to purchase Drano.
Mah said voting was a constitutionally protected right unlike purchasing Drano. Kobach said citizens have a constitutional right to petition courts but must show photo ID to enter a federal courthouse. The comments came during a discussion before the House Elections Committee.
Kobach, a Republican, successfully pushed for a state law that took effect Jan.1 that requires voters to show photo identification at the polls. The law also requires people registering to vote for the first time in Kansas to provide proof of their citizenship. That takes effect in January 2013, but Kobach is pushing to make it effective June 15, in time for this year’s primaries and general election.
Full Article: Statehouse Live: Kobach touts voter ID law; Democrats say it will deprive legitimate votes / LJWorld.com.