With Kris Kobach as vice chair, Trump’s election commission is clearly about voter suppression

When it was revealed that President Trump would establish a new commission to investigate voter fraud, there was little doubt Kansas Secretary of State and prominent nativist Kris Kobach would be involved.

On May 11, Trump signed an executive order establishing The Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. Vice President Mike Pence will chair the commission and, as McClatchy reports, Kobach will serve as vice chair.

The new commission will presumably serve as nothing more than a vehicle to advance voter suppression measures across the country based on false notions. For months, Trump has outrageously claimed that millions of fraudulent votes prevented him from winning the popular vote in November. The only problem is, there is absolutely no evidence of this.

Kobach was an early supporter of Trump’s campaign, and it appears his unwavering support has paid off. More so, as the architect of some of the country’s most dangerous anti-immigrant  and voter suppression measures, Kobach is aligned with the Trump administration’s draconian policies. As the Center for New Community’s Nativists at the White House resource details, Kobach served as an advisor to Trump’s presidential campaign and transition team. Kobach was also rumored to be considered for a cabinet position, which did not materialize.

As Ari Berman, author of Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America, noted, “Kobach has been the driving force within the GOP behind policies that erect new barriers to the ballot box and the most fervent evangelist of unproven voter-fraud claims.”

Imagine2050 has also reported on Kobach’s years-long quest to implement voter suppression measures in his home state of Kansas and across the country. Here are just a few examples:

Former Kobach appointee aids voter suppression efforts in 3 states (Feb 17, 2016)

SCOTUS decision a blow to Kobach, but voter suppression still a threat (Jun 30, 2015)

Kansas lawmakers assist Kobach in attack on voting rights (May 06, 2015)

Kobach visits Nebraska to push voter suppression bill (Jan 26, 2015)

Kobach, Voter ID and the threats to Women’s Suffrage (Aug 26, 2014)

Ruling to allow Kobach’s SAFE Act sets dangerous precedent (Mar 24, 2014)

Kobach uses invalid claims of voter fraud to back suppression efforts (Mar 20, 2014)

Nativist movement takes aim at minority voting power, Voting Rights Act amendment (Mar 19, 2014)

Kobach-led Secure States Initiative pushes voter suppression in the name of states’ rights (Feb 27, 2014)

Kobach’s Voter Suppression Efforts Jeopardize the Eligibility of 12,000 Voters (Jul 29, 2013)

Alabama or BUST: Kris Kobach and the “Exporting” of ALEC & Heritage Foundation Values (Aug 16, 2012)