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In a 67-page ruling, Federal District Judge Julie Robinson blocked the enforcement of the Kansas voter ID law. This is not the first time this law -- or its application -- has made it to the courts. The so-called 'Two-Tiered Voters' scheme -- in which voters without IDs could vote in federal elections but not state or local ones -- was struck down in state court in January. Secretary of State Kris Kobach has claimed that these laws are necessary to prevent non-citizens from voting, but the rul

This week the House of Representatives is expected to vote on a bill that its supporters say closes a legal loophole that will protect email and electronic communication users. The legislation, HR 699, the Email Privacy Act, was introduced in 2013 by Republican US Rep. Kevin Yoder of Kansas. After the bill died in committee, Yoder reintroduced it along with Democrat Jared Polis in 2015. In a press release issued when Yoder introduced the legislation to the 114th Congress, he said: "The last t

Republican presidential candidate John Kasich is often plain spoken, even about his own party's flaws. In a meeting with the Washington Post's editorial board, Kasich gave a brutally honest reason for his party's opposition to D.C. statehood: What it really gets down to, if you want to be honest, is because they know that’s just more votes in the Democratic Party. Looking at any red/blue county map, you can instantly see what Kasich is talking about. Most of the urban areas in and around Wash

There's no doubt that Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has been a champion of the cause to implement stricter voting laws across America. Helping craft the laws in at least 3 states, including Kansas, Kobach is an ardent defender of both voter ID laws at polling places and proof-of-citizenship to register to vote. He has also taken sharp stances on immigration, endorsing Donald Trump for his emphasis on border-control and supporting the pending SCOTUS case challenging President Obama's ex

With the summer fast approaching, and as establishment leaders in both parties frantically try to simmer the flames of the primary chaos, there is still a chance that this election could become even more unconventional than it already is. At the moment both parties are in sticky situations as the establishment wing of the parties are either completely underwater or desperately treading water. With both Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio out of the race, and with Gov. John Kasich having just 147 delegates

When Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach lobbied for prosecutorial power in voter fraud cases before the state legislature, he promised 100 immediate cases for prosecution (then 200). Yet nine and a half months into the power grab, he still has only presented 6 cases. With last week's dismissal of charges against Olathe resident Betty Gaedtke, he now stands at one successful prosecution, one utterly embarrassing blunder, and four pending cases. Where's the hundreds of cases of promised voter

Over the past few weeks leading up to New York's April 19 primaries, FairVote has been one of the many voting rights organizations to receive calls from frustrated or confused New Yorkers, wondering whether they are eligible to vote. We received callers from both major parties, and some who had never registered with a party before. While some were registered with a party early enough to qualify, most received the disappointing news from us that they had missed the deadline to change party affili

Law professor Michael Gilbert published an essay in the Columbia Law Review making one of the most counter-intuitive claims about voter ID laws possible -- that it actually makes voter fraud worse. The debate over voter ID laws is one that is characterized by extreme partisanship. On the conservative side, the argument is that it is imperative to keep the ballot box sacrosanct; while on the liberal side, the argument is that it is merely another voter suppression law, under the guise of protect

During an interview with Bloomberg's Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, Kansas City Mayor Sly James talked about, among other things, the Democratic presidential race and his role as a superdelegate. A committed Hillary Clinton supporter, James said it is his obligation to stay loyal to her and make sure other superdelegates who have committed to her do the same. "I will be doing everything I can to convince other delegates and to make sure superdelegates are holding the line in order to make su

After losing 7 of the last 8 contests (including Democrats Abroad), Clinton's got a big problem. It's not a problem that she's somehow likely to lose the whole thing; it would still take a minor miracle for Bernie Sanders to pull off the come-from-behind victory this late in the primary season. The problem is all about damage control, unity, and general election prospects of going home the winner. She has to campaign to win, but also do it in a manner that doesn't embitter the entire followin