A bill expanding the Secretary of State’s legal authority in prosecuting cases of voter fraud was advanced by a Senate committee vote on Monday. Senate Bill 786 would allow the Missouri Secretary of State to investigate and prosecute cases of alleged voting fraud. … Currently, the Secretary of State’s office is limited in its ability to prosecute voter fraud cases. Potential cases under current law are referred to the local agencies in which they occur. … That office is currently one Kraus himself is actively seeking. Kraus (R-Lee’s Summit), currently serving as a state senator, announced his candidacy for Secretary of State in July 2014.
Kraus has been one of Missouri’s most vocal crusaders for stricter voting laws. Missouri Republicans have tried for years to enact voter I.D. laws in the state, so far to no avail. They are currently pushing a voter I.D. law again this year with SB 594, another bill sponsored by Kraus.
Opponents of the bill say voter fraud is rare enough that it’s a non-issue for the state, and that the few cases that have been confirmed occurred via voter registration, which the bill would not address anyway.
Full Article: Bill moves forward to expand Sec. of State’s authority in voter fraud cases | fox4kc.com.