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Kris Kobach
Kansas Attorney General / Former Secretary of State
State Official
Overview
Kansas Attorney General and former Secretary of State who became the national face of voter fraud hysteria and restrictive voting laws. Served as vice chair of Trump's Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity (2017-2018) which was disbanded without finding evidence of widespread fraud. Championed the Interstate Crosscheck program that wrongly flagged millions of legitimate voters, disproportionately targeting minority voters with common names. Architect of strict voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements that were repeatedly struck down by courts as unconstitutional.
Key Affiliations
Controversies & Concerns
Interstate Crosscheck program wrongly flagged millions of voters as potential double-registrants; 99% of flags were false positives
Crosscheck disproportionately targeted minority voters: people with common names like Washington, Garcia, Kim vastly overrepresented
Trump voter fraud commission disbanded in 2018 without finding evidence of widespread voter fraud
Secured only 9 prosecutions for voter fraud in Kansas out of 1.8 million registered voters despite claiming thousands of fraudulent votes
Key architect of Kansas SAFE Act requiring proof of citizenship to register; blocked 30,000+ registrations before being struck down
Found in contempt of court by federal judge for failing to comply with voter registration court order
Personally fined by federal judge for misleading the court in voter registration case
Lost gubernatorial race in 2018 to Democrat Laura Kelly in deep-red Kansas
Related Investigations (1)
Criminal Charges & Violations
2 documented violations
52 U.S.C. § 20504 - National Voter Registration Act ViolationsProof-of-citizenship requirements found to violate NVRA by federal court; Kobach found in contempt for non-compliance(constitutional)
Federal Court Contempt - Fish v. KobachFound in contempt of court and personally fined for misleading the court about compliance with voter registration orders(obstruction)
Known Associates & Connections
Donald Trump
Appointed Kobach vice chair of voter fraud commission; Kobach advised on immigration policy
Stephen Miller
Collaborated on hardline immigration policies including Muslim travel ban
Sources & Documentation
3 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports
Brennan Center: Analysis of Interstate Crosscheck(2017)
ACLU v. Kobach - Federal Court Decision(2018)
Fish v. Kobach - Court Order and Contempt Finding(2016)
Personal Information
- Born
- 1966-03-26
- Birthplace
- Madison, Wisconsin
Education
- •B.A., Harvard University (1988)
- •J.D., Yale Law School (1995)
- •D.Phil., University of Oxford (1992)
Key Timeline
2004
Serves as counsel to Attorney General John Ashcroft; drafts NSEERS registry targeting Muslim immigrants
2011-01
Takes office as Kansas Secretary of State; immediately pushes restrictive voting laws
2013
Kansas SAFE Act enacted requiring proof of citizenship; blocks tens of thousands from registering
2015
Given unprecedented prosecutorial power to pursue voter fraud cases; secures only 9 convictions
2017-05
Appointed vice chair of Trump's Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity
2018-01
Voter fraud commission disbanded without finding evidence of widespread fraud
2018-06
Federal judge strikes down Kansas proof-of-citizenship law; orders Kobach to take remedial legal education
2018-06-18
Found in contempt of court for violating voter registration court order; fined personally
2018-11
Loses Kansas gubernatorial race to Democrat Laura Kelly
2022-11
Elected Kansas Attorney General