Once tasked with overseeing the integrity of the United States’ electoral system after spending much of his political career creating obstacles for Americans who want to vote, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach launched his latest attack on elections on Wednesday when he refused to recuse himself from a recount effort in a race he himself ran in.
Kobach was one of seven Republicans to run in the state’s primary for governor on Tuesday. As of Wednesday morning, Kobach led incumbent Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer by just 191 votes after technical difficulties in one county, signaling that a recount could be called.
At the state level, the Secretary of State’s office oversees all elections and recounts. Kobach argued as the close results came in Tuesday night that because officials in Kansas’s 105 counties would coordinate each county’s vote tallying effort, it was not necessary for him to recuse himself from overseeing the overall recount.
“The secretary of state’s office merely serves as a coordinating entity overseeing it all but not actually counting the votes,” the former Kansas GOP chairman said.
Kobach’s refusal drew ire from election experts and other critics.
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