A Wichita state representative has filed a bill to strip Secretary of State Kris Kobach of his authority to prosecute election crimes. Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, said allowing Kobach to bring criminal cases has not uncovered evidence of illegal immigrant voting fraud, which was a big part of Kobach’s pitch when the Legislature granted him prosecutorial power in 2015. “Since that time, he has commenced approximately 10 of those prosecutions, all of them against United States citizens and in virtually every instance, against folks who made mistakes in casting their ballots,” Carmichael said. “Some of these cases have since been dismissed … as unfounded, and a handful more have resulted in minimal fines against otherwise law-abiding citizens.
“Given the secretary of state’s incompetent prosecutorial abilities, I thought it was appropriate to return those responsibilities to professional prosecutors,” Carmichael said.
… Carmichael, a lawyer, said county and state prosecutors routinely exercise their discretion to not file criminal charges for first-time offenders when the crimes are minor and unlikely to be repeated.
He said the state would be better served if Kobach concentrated on the other responsibilities of his office, keeping records and administering elections.
Full Article: Kansas lawmaker seeks to strip Kris Kobach of power to prosecute voting crimes | The Wichita Eagle.