Something Smells in Kansas

And it ain’t the cows.

Enter Kris Kobach, the Republican Secretary of State known by election reformers for his unabashed attempt to re-instate straight ticket voting and forcing a Democrat to be listed on the ballot when a Republican is faced with a credible independent challenger.

Keep in mind, he pursued these partisan protection schemes last election in his capacity as the umpire for fair elections in Kansas, otherwise known as the Secretary of State. Yet, there is no doubt Kobach was trying to do one thing: prevent independent candidate Greg Orman from unseating longtime Republican Senator Pat Roberts.

“Defend the team!” says Kobach, as he blows the umpire’s whistle.

It is this party-protection behavior from Kobach that validates anti-Voter ID advocates?

Why?

Because Kris Kobach is THE GUY who is leading the effort to enact Voter ID reform across the country. He even authored Arizona’s Voter ID law, the most stringent  in the country.

For Kobach's part, he says he is fighting against voter fraud. And to be human, we are all driven by our perspective.

Worth noting: Kansas is a closed primary state. This means, only Democrats and Republicans get to vote in the first stage of the election process.

Kris Kobach is the chief administrator of this process for the State of Kansas.

As a Republican, is he worried about using taxpayer dollars to fund an election that only serves the Republican and Democratic Parties? No.

As the Secretary of State, was he worried that an independent could unseat his Republican friend Pat Roberts? Yes.

As an advocate for election integrity, should we have confidence that his sole loyalty is to voters, and not his political party? Hardly.

So when Kris Kobach embarks on a quest to become a United States Senator, voters should follow their nose.

And to any independent-minded voter -- something stinks.