County: Grand Jury Petition on Voter Registrations Valid

A county official says enough signatures were gathered to allow a grand jury to criminally investigate Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s handling of Kansas’ online voter registration system.

But even Kobach’s harshest critics say they’ve seen no evidence he committed a crime.

Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew said Thursday that the petition has more than the required number of verified signatures. The next step is a judge’s review.

Kobach didn’t immediately return messages for comment.

The petition seeks an investigation into whether his office committed election fraud and voter suppression by deleting registration data.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which is suing Kobach over voting rights issues, says it’s seen no evidence of criminal conduct.

Under a rarely used Kansas law, grand juries can be assembled by citizen petitions.