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AP17:077

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 6, 2017
Contact:
Jesse Melgar or Sam Mahood
(916) 653-6575

Statement by Secretary of State Alex Padilla on the Release of the Kris Kobach Documents

SACRAMENTO – California Secretary of State Alex Padilla released the following statement:

“Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s voter suppression crusade hit a new low today—and now the proof is in black and white.”

“Unsealed federal court documents released yesterday reveal Kobach lobbied President Trump to target the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) to weaken voting rights. Kobach’s proposed amendments would allow states to impose repressive measures—including proof of citizenship documentation—to make it harder for eligible American citizens to register to vote. It is reprehensible that Kobach has tried to keep this information from public scrutiny - at taxpayer expense.”

“It remains troubling and telling that President Trump chose Kobach to lead the now-discredited Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity which has the purported goal of seeking reforms to the electoral process.  Kobach, and his fellow commissioners, Hans Von Spakovsky , J. Christian Adams, and Kenneth Blackwell, have barely masked their true desire to significantly roll back voting rights.”

“Such efforts to undermine our democracy are contrary to American values and I will continue to call out such policy agendas for what they are - attacks against our fundamental right to vote.”

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