On Tuesday, President Barack Obama called on Congress to advance an immigration overhaul that includes a plan “that finally deals with the 11 million undocumented immigrants who are in this country now.” Those affected expressed cautious optimism that a pathway to citizenship is even more possible.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach says increasing the power of his office is the best way to deter people from double-voting.
“This thing has been a bucking bronco ride.” — Todd Akin
Not a tough call
A Democratic legislator in a close re-election fight alleged Thursday that Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach was trying to deflect scrutiny of a voter ID law he championed when he filed an unsuccessful lawsuit aimed at preventing …
A speckled wave of Democratic blue swept across parts of America last week, handing President Barack Obama a second term and tossing …
Secretary of State Kris Kobach plans to seek the power to prosecute election crimes next year, and he wants to include that …
Shawnee County’s election commissioner has released the names of voters who cast provisional ballots in this week’s elections to the candidates in a tight Kansas House race.
Early voting for Kansans ended at noon Monday, and it appears that about half of the electorate in Johnson County voted before Election Day.
Despite the buzz created nationally by the presidential race, Kansas party and elected officials say efforts to generate a strong election turnout on Tuesday are muted by a lack of statewide races.
Missouri Democrats are worried — about Kansas.
That compares to a 72 percent turnout forecast in MO
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is preparing to announce his prediction for voter turnout in Tuesday’s election.
He’ll attend 3 events
A Topeka activist formally launched an effort Wednesday to recall Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, but state law creates huge hurdles …
Gov. Sam Brownback, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce scored big wins in the August primary, …
A Lawrence artist is disappointed that one of his prints that is critical of Sam Brownback has been removed from a cafe …
If Barack Obama wins re-election, he will have several thank-you notes to write. He should save the special stationery for U.S. Rep. …
Candidate says he’s not met with Kansas secretary of state, but aide later clarifies
President Barack Obama will be on the Kansas ballot in November. The state’s Board of Objections officially ended a challenge to the …
Manhattan resident Joe Montgomery said he received angry phone calls to his office and home. Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s office said …
Kansas has added a little suspense to the 2012 presidential race.
The red-hot immigration debate cooled in statehouses this year as lawmakers focused their attention on budgets, redistricting and, most significantly, the outcome …
Phyllis Schlafly, a Missouri delegate and a well-known conservative activist, said Monday that she continues to support U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, the …
He’s getting around GOP convention, talking on the radio, to reporters.
Missourians meet, rain falls, speakers speak
Republicans gathering for their party’s national convention in Florida insist they aren’t worried — even as a tropical storm named Isaac takes …
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is back in the national political spotlight with a lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama’s plan to …
Secretary of state appears before civil rights panel
A Topeka polling place will have a special election for 432 voters after some received the wrong ballots in last week’s Kansas primaries, officials decided Monday.
Conservative Republicans cleared away a big obstacle this week to their ambitions to convert Kansas into a policy laboratory, but they could face a new problem as they work on fiscal and social issues next year — the …
In choosing Paul Ryan as his running mate, Mitt Romney virtually guaranteed a long-delayed nationwide discussion of what needs to be done …
Besides knowing the candidates Tuesday, the Metz family of Lenexa checked off another important piece of preparation — making sure everyone had …
Numbers for KC area races
The voting forecast seems dismal.
Cooper: Secretary of State appears at event for northeast JoCo candidate
Hundreds of thousands of voters with “unprecedented restrictive voter ID laws” will have trouble because they don’t have access to a vehicle and live more than 10 miles from an office that issues state IDs and is open …
36 percent approve, 48 percent disapprove of governor’s job performance
State attorneys argue that a three-judge federal panel should award little, if any, legal fees to lawyers who have filed more than $669,000 in bills in the Kansas redistricting case.
Each of Kansas’ major political factions want voters to blame someone else for this year’s bitter legislative wrangling over redrawn election districts, which ended up in federal court and could stick taxpayers with big legal bills.
Mitt Romney has a choice to make. He has to pick a running mate, a choice that he might announce as early …
Secretary of State Kris Kobach is confident the courts will uphold a Kansas law that will require some potential voters to prove their U.S. citizenship starting next year, despite an ongoing legal dispute over a similar policy in …
WASHINGTON A strict border-control law partially drafted in Kansas and adopted in Arizona found both vindication and defeat Monday with a U.S. …
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach was a partial author of the Arizona immigration law and consults with states and cities about …
The Kansas Legislature’s failure to redraw political boundaries this year could stick the state with hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills from parties involved in the resulting federal lawsuit, court records show.
Kobach defends policies
For all but the earliest years of their lives, 18-year-old Isamara Cortes Cruz and her 15-year-old sister, Fatima, wondered if any of …
A post-redistricting filing scramble by Kansas House candidates spawned legal challenges Thursday involving a gay rights group, the chamber’s majority leader and a Democratic hopeful who says the Republican secretary of state’s office lost his paperwork.
No matter what happens in the voting booth this summer and fall redrawn districts will mean scores of new candidates and a …
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Gavel comes down at noon; 250-plus House candidates, 100 for Senate
New maps bring confusion and new candidates
Republicans and Democrats in Kansas began a mad scramble for candidates Friday.
Even Johnson County Commission weighing in
Now it’s federal judges who are racing the clock. With the Aug. 7 primary election looming, a panel of federal judges will …
Kansas’ Republican attorney general will be allowed to participate in a redistricting lawsuit, three federal judges ruled Thursday, but only to weigh in on fees lawyers will seek after the case ends.
Two Kansas Democrats want the state’s Republican attorney general to stay out of a federal court case over the Legislature’s failure to redraw political boundaries.
Cooper: First hearings on redistricting case
After a spring of arguing over such social issues as gay marriage and insurance coverage for women’s contraceptives, most Democrats and Republicans agreed last week that this fall’s election is still about the economy — stupid or not.
Gov. Sam Brownback says he may try to get involved in a federal lawsuit over the Kansas Legislature’s failure to redraw the state’s political boundaries.
Kansas legislators worked Thursday on new proposals for redrawing the state’s political boundaries, but a federal court could take redistricting out of their hands at the end of the month.
Of the 50 states, Kansas now stands as the only one that has yet to draw new congressional boundaries. Secretary of State …
….because lawmakers can’t get the job done
| Secretary of State Kris Kobach conceded Thursday that Kansas won’t require first-time voters to provide proof of their U.S. citizenship ahead of this year’s elections because the Senate’s top leader effectively killed the proposal.
The Kansas Legislature’s inability to agree on new election boundaries will delay the filing deadline for candidates seeking state and national offices.
Less than two years after Republicans rode a tea party wave to retake the U.S. House, a survey shows the four-member Kansas …
Gov. Sam Brownback tried out a new line of reasoning Friday in hopes of spurring legislators to finish the redistricting process, saying Kansas is the last state in the country to redraw its maps.
A Republican precinct committee member from Olathe filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court over the Kansas Legislature’s failure so far to redraw the state’s political boundaries.
People would have to prove they are U.S. citizens when they register to vote under a proposal approved by a Missouri House …
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach publicly warned legislators Monday that a potential constitutional crisis is brewing because the state’s political boundaries haven’t been adjusted yet, but he was wary of a proposal to postpone the state’s primary …
Kris Kobach holds what should be one of the quietest jobs in government: Kansas secretary of state. Yet it’s hard to find …
TOPEKA | A bitter split between conservative and moderate Republicans has kept the Kansas Senate from agreeing on a proposal for redrawing their districts, and the delay threatens to create administrative headaches ahead of this year’s primary election.
Former KC mayor defends KS Secy. of State, criticizes “consensus”
Missouri Republicans get their chance today to hack through the thick, tangled underbrush that is their party’s presidential nominating process.
Cooper: Secretary of State denies other aspects of an open records request
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach won a round Wednesday when the House tentatively agreed to move up the starting date for …
Cooper: New restriction proposed for registering to vote
After four days of passionate testimony last week, leading Republican lawmakers don’t appear willing to tackle the aggressive immigration measures that Secretary …
A parking complaint led authorities to a pickup truck with homemade explosives across the street from the Kansas Capitol on Wednesday, a …
Cooper: Group called Kansans Count question whether Kobach has been doing job as secretary of state
Voters in Roeland Park Ward 1 elected Becky Fast on Tuesday to replace a City Council member who resigned. It was only the second election in Kansas since a new law required voters to show a photo ID.
On Saturday, Robert Vandervoort sat alongside Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach for an immigration panel at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. No one questioned that Vandervoort once led a group that preached the genetic superiority …
His anti-immigration message goes over big in D.C.
On Wednesday, former U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, 66, revealed publicly that he was in the “early phases” of Alzheimer’s disease following what …
Cooper: Can Kobach supervise elections as secretary of state and participate in partisan politics?
Cooper: Secretary of state details expenses related to new voting law
TOPEKA | Progress on modernizing the Kansas computer system for issuing driver’s licenses is six months ahead of schedule and could mean that some potential voters will be required to show proof of their U.S. citizenship during this …
Progress on modernizing the Kansas computer system for issuing driver’s licenses is six months ahead of schedule and could mean that some potential voters will be required to show proof of their U.S. citizenship during this year’s presidential …
As Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback recently summarized, this year’s session of the Kansas Legislature is almost three sessions rolled into one. “We’ve …
In a recent interview, President Barack Obama admitted that there are times when he questions whether he would like to seek re-election …
Leadfooted Kansas drivers? They’re winners.
A coalition of national tea party groups is planning a weekend political rally at old The Woodlands racetrack this fall that could bring tens of thousands of people to the area.
A coalition of national tea party groups is planning a weekend political rally at The Woodlands racetrack this fall that could bring tens of thousands of people to the area.
Political insiders say it’s important to note that last week’s decision to release the long-form birth certificate didn’t come from President Barack Obama’s staff or advisers. Obama himself made the decision. It was personal to him.
He’s no longer on the state payroll, but Kansas taxpayers are still writing checks to pay for Phill Kline.The state has paid more than $400,000 in legal fees and other expenses Kline has incurred…
TOPEKA | Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback signed a voter ID bill into law Monday afternoon at a news conference at the statehouse.
TOPEKA | Starting next year, Kansas voters would have to present a photo ID when they cast a ballot under a bill headed to the governor to sign.
The Kansas Legislature allegedly exists for one 90-day session. This is a convenient fiction. For example, the sessions often extend beyond 90 days, becoming tests of endurance in early May. But the…
TOPEKA | A major immigration bill similar to a controversial Arizona law suffered a potentially fatal blow Wednesday when the Kansas House refused to consider the measure.
TOPEKA | The Kansas Senate Ethics and Elections Committee on Thursday passed a weakened version of Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s bill to require a photo ID and proof of citizenship for voters.
Shoot ’em down like swine!
TOPEKA | Kansas lawmakers today dealt a setback to a plan that would clamp down on illegal immigration in a way that’s similar to a controversial Arizona law.
TOPEKA | A hearing on an Arizona-style immigration law drew impassioned testimony Thursday, including a statement from a former welfare worker who described “overwhelming†levels of fraud by illegal immigrants.
TOPEKA | Opponents of a voter ID bill being pushed by Secretary of State Kris Kobach call it a solution in search of a problem.
Having persuaded 83 members of the Kansas House last week that the state has a serious problem with fraudulent voters, Secretary of State Kris Kobach now moves his crusade to the Senate. Before the…
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s legislation to require voters to show photo identification at the polls won first-round approval Thursday in the state House.House member’s 78-36 vote advanced…
Column violated mission of districtAs an advocate of free speech, I support a Wichita East High School student’s right to express his views on same-sex relationships in any forum except a high school…
TOPEKA | Proposals requiring Kansas and Missouri residents to show picture IDs when they vote gained steam in both states’ legislatures Thursday.
TOPEKA | Phill Kline returns to Kansas today to answer allegations that he misled judges and mishandled evidence in his dogged pursuit of abortion clinics.
TOPEKA | Kansas joined Arizona on the front lines of one of America’s hottest political debates Thursday when conservative state leaders introduced legislation targeting illegal immigrants.
TOPEKA | Stephanie Mott has an unusual problem with a proposal that would require Kansans to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote and a photo ID every Election Day.
TOPEKA | With anti-illegal immigration sentiment high and conservatives firmly in power, critics of a Kansas law granting in-state tuition to children of illegal immigrants hope this is the year legislators vote to repeal.
State lawmakers shouldn’t go along with Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s overreaching proposal to fight the negligible problem of voter fraud. But if they do, they must ensure their efforts…
The farther you traveled from U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ hospital room Monday, the louder it got across America.
TOPEKA | Sam Brownback became Kansas’ 46th governor on Monday, promising to lead according to the state’s virtues: “humility, foresight, thrift, courage, self-sacrifice, charity and optimism.â€
Certain issues and events drove debate on The Eagle’s Opinion pages this year. In crafting this list, we focused on political and policy issues that generated the most public passion, not just…
TOPEKA | A northeast Kansas county prosecutor who has represented missionaries detained in Haiti and former state Attorney General Phill Kline will be Gov.-elect Sam Brownback’s top staff lawyer.
You won’t believe what those crazy pols said this year:
A month ago, Kansans were still trying to sort out the implications of the GOP sweep of state offices and congressional seats, as well as the decline to irrelevancy of Democrats in the Statehouse. A…
The California Supreme Court ruled Monday that some illegal immigrants are entitled to the same tuition breaks offered to in-state high school students to attend public colleges and…
After three months off the air, Kris Kobach returned to host his weekly call-in show Sunday night on 710 Talk radio.
TOPEKA | It was a slaughter, and that red you see is the lifeblood of the Kansas Demo-cratic Party.
The Associated Press has released election results and announced several winners in area races.
Kris Kobach will bring his determination to fight voter fraud to the Kansas secretary of state’s office after defeating incumbent Chris Biggs.
Ballot names followed by an (R) proved irresistible to Kansas voters Tuesday. And it wasn’t much different in Missouri.
Few area counties are expecting big increases in voter turnout Tuesday compared with the last midterm election, and some predict decreases.
Kansas has the hottest secretary of state race in the country this year, and that’s just odd.
The Star Editorial Board’s key choices.
So you think you’ve been following the election pretty closely, huh? Well we’ve compiled a quiz of some little-known candidate quirks and tidbits to test how well you really know them.
A Wichita man is alive and well, despite being cited as a likely example of voter fraud because he apparently was deceased but someone using his name voted in the August primary.
TOPEKA — Republican Kris Kobach, who has built his campaign for Secretary of State around the issue of voter fraud, raised the specter of the dead voting in Kansas.Kobach said in a news…
The Kansas Democratic Party on Thursday accused Republican secretary of state candidate Kris Kobach of accepting political contributions that exceeded state limits.
A crowd gathered for a GOP campaign rally on Wednesday in the Johnson County Republican Headquarters’ parking lot.
Indiana may become a model for a photo ID for Kansas voters. That would mean you could only get an absentee ballot under certain circumstances.
TOPEKA | Kansas gubernatorial candidate Sam Brownback significantly outpaced his Democratic opponent in fundraising this fall, according to recent campaign finance reports.
TOPEKA | Kansas gubernatorial candidate Sam Brownback significantly outpaced his Democratic opponent in fundraising this fall, according to recent campaign finance reports.
TOPEKA —In a final snapshot of candidates’ finances before Tuesday’s election, Republican gubernatorial hopeful U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback again is leading in fundraising.Brownback had more than…
The Republican nominee has a sharp advantage over his Democratic opponent when it comes to fundraising. But AG Steve Six and Secretary of State Chris Biggs outraise their GOP rivals.
When you write a check, board a plane or buy a six pack, you’ve got to show some ID. But when you vote in Kansas, you just sign your name. No ID required. The candidates for Secretary of …
When you write a check, board a plane or buy a six pack, you’ve got to show some ID. But when you vote in Kansas, no ID necessary.
Seldom has a Kansas Secretary of State’s race attracted so much interest, and never before has illegal immigration been the big issue of the campaign.
Nationally, Democrats have struggled to find their villains, wavering somewhere between Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and Christine O’Donnell. But for Democrats in Kansas, the choice is clear: They are taking aim at Phill Kline and Fred Phelps.
The Secretary of State’s race in Kansas has become one of the most important races of the election season. Why? Because issues like immigration and questions about government accountability are part of the debate.
The race for Kansas secretary of state comes down to one question: Is voter fraud a pressing problem in Kansas, tied to illegal immigration and corrupt politics, or is it largely a myth used to drum up votes?
The video went up on YouTube within hours:
Republican Kris Kobach and Democratic incumbent Chris Biggs clashed over voter fraud Tuesday night in an unusually contentious secretary of state debate.
The two candidates for Kansas Secretary of State clashed on voter ID law, their dedication to the job, and the big issue of the race - voter fraud.
Voter fraud has turned into an intriguing issue this year in the race for Kansas secretary of state.
Although the races for U.S. Senate and Kansas governor are the most visible and significant contests in the Nov. 2 election, those for attorney general, secretary of state and state treasurer remain…
Will Tea Party sentiment shake of the Johnson County legislative delegation?
For most people who vote at the polls, showing a photo identification wouldn’t be a problem.Whip out a driver’s license or some other government-issued ID with your picture on it, and you’re set.But…
Kansas Secretary of State Chris Biggs has thrown down the gauntlet, signing a pledge to work only on issues in Kansas if he is elected secretary of state.
TOPEKA — Democratic Secretary of State Chris Biggs took a jab Thursday at his Republican opponent, signing a pledge to work full time in his government job if Kansas voters elect him in November.
As president, Harry Truman dropped the atomic bomb and crafted foreign policy that shaped the second half of the 20th century. But he also championed immigration reform. Truman’s push to loosen U.S. immigration laws led to changes in …
Missouri and Kansas voices from both sides of the political fray forecast how the tea party will play into the general elections in November. Now, add your prediction, too.
Fort Hays State University political science professor Chapman Rackaway is entitled to his opinion that “Voter initiative sounds good but is bad idea” (Sept. 14 Opinion) but not to make up his own…
A poll shows Republicans winning all statewide state offices if the election were held today.The Survey USA poll was conducted between Sept. 14 and 16 for KWCH, Channel 12.The poll, by race:*…
TOPEKA | Kansas Secretary of State candidate Kris Kobach said Wednesday he is helping the author of Arizona’s immigration law on legislation to end birthright citizenship in that state.
TOPEKA | Kansas Secretary of State candidate Kris Kobach said today that he is helping the author of the Arizona immigration law on legislation to end birthright citizenship in that state.
Rack ’em.
Republicans are leading all statewide races by double-digit margins, according to a recent SurveyUSA poll.GOP gubernatorial candidate Sam Brownback is lead-ing Democrat Tom Holland 67 percent to 25…
This being an election year, the lies are flying like beer bottles in a bar fight.
Concordia, Mo.| James Arwood is insistent.
In the wake of Tuesday’s primaries, I bet you have lots of questions.
Whoever wins this fall’s Kansas secretary of state race will determine where the office stands in the debate over whether voters must show photo identification at the polls.
The buzz word for the GOP unity event: “clean sweep,†the GOP rallying cry to win all of the state’s top offices in November.
Whoever wins this fall’s Kansas secretary of state race will determine where the office stands in the debate over whether voters must show photo identification at the polls.
Stay informed with the latest news and observations as Missouri and Kansas head to the polls
Voters in Kansas and Missouri head to the polls Tuesday to decide scores of races, end weeks of vigorous campaigning.
PHOENIX | Opponents of Arizona’s new immigration law are thrilled. Advocates are dismayed. And the stage has been set for more legal battles.
TOPEKA | Republican Kris Kobach says that if he is elected Kansas secretary of state, he would push to allow voters to initiate state laws without going through the Legislature.
Fliers are flying. TV ads are blaring.
Kansas secretary of state candidate Kris Kobach says President Barack Obama would resolve questions about his citizenship by producing a detailed birth certificate.
A candidate for Kansas secretary of state who’s already part of the national immigration debate says President Barack Obama would resolve questions about his citizenship by producing a detailed birth certificate.
Immigration may or may not be a big concern for U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. But it’s hardly been on the radar of the secretary of state who works in Topeka.
This was not supposed to be the race of the year in Kansas state politics.
This was not supposed to be the race of the year in Kansas state politics.
Kansans heading to the polls Aug. 3 can be forgiven for scratching their heads a bit about the field of candidates they’ll find on ballots.
Kansas Secretary of State candidate Kris Kobach and Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio drew at least a thousand supporters, while a few hundred others stood in protest outside. Kobach was interrupted briefly when police found a suspicious package, but …
Overland Park police responded tonight to a possible bomb threat at the Ritz Charles, where Kris Kobach and Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio are holding a controversial immigration rally.
A job sometimes viewed as one of bookkeeping is a hot property.
Steve Kraske’s take on the mid-term election.
W ASHINGTON | The Obama administration launched a legal attack on Arizona’s strict new immigration law Tuesday, arguing that only Washington can set the nation’s rules for arresting illegal immigrants.
Olathe Republicans take straw poll for Aug. 3 primary.
TOPEKA | Shawnee County Election Commissioner Libby Ensley kicked off her campaign for Kansas secretary of state on Monday, saying she’s in favor of requiring photo identification at the polls.
A preliminary audit revealed widespread problems with the financial management of the Kansas Republican Party when Kris Kobach, a candidate for secretary of state, was party chairman.
TOPEKA | Republican Kris Kobach formally began his campaign to be Kansas secretary of state on Tuesday with a promise to aggressively pursue election crimes.
When Republican
