"Kobach went on to argue that “the problem is only going to get worse, unless the country’s secretaries of state take the necessary steps to protect the integrity of our elections. The threat is real, and time is short.” He said that his agenda begins, but doesn’t end, with a statute requiring a photo ID to vote. Kobach acknowledged during the campaign that he 'would be transforming the model (of the secretary of state office) somewhat, from a ministerial model to more of a law enforcement model,' according to the Wichita Eagle.
Meanwhile, in Colorado, Gessler — who won in November by a 50-43 percent margin — comes to his new post from a career as an election lawyer who worked for Republican and conservative groups. Not surprisingly, Democrats are wary.
Gessler, like Kobach, ran on an agenda of fighting election fraud through the enactment of a voter ID law. Following his victory in November, Gessler told a Colorado political blog that he would also move toward mandating “proof of citizenship” as a qualifcation for voting, although he acknowledged that this proposal could face a difficult path given the likely opposition of the new Democratic governor, John Hickenlooper. (Neither Kobach nor Gessler returned requests for comment for this story.)"
Secretaries of state up the political ante
Stateline.org:
