State Rep. John Carmichael, a Democrat from Wichita, is sponsoring a bill to repeal the secretary of state’s prosecutorial power, noting Kobach has filed just nine prosecutions against people for double voting in the past year and a half. Six voters were convicted and fined between $500 and $5,500. None involved noncitizens voting illegally.

Carmichael says Kobach is using his prosecutorial power for “political purposes,” saying Kobach has made a name for himself by contending noncitizens are stealing elections.

Read the full story at http://cjonline.com/news/local/2017-01-21/voting-rights-advocates-seek-rein-kansas-election-laws

Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita Democrat, reacted sarcastically Friday to the new filing against the voter:

“The scoundrel.” Carmichael said with a laugh. “Oh my!”

Carmichael, who has filed a bill that would strip Kobach of his prosecutorial powers, said he knows of no other professional prosecutor in Kansas who uses so many resources to go after just a handful of misdemeanor cases.

“I seriously question whether the Secretary of State is being a good steward of the taxpayer’s money,” Carmichael said.

Read the full story at http://kcur.org/post/kobach-files-ninth-case-alleged-voter-fraud

Democratic Representative John Carmichael doesn’t expect the idea to get much traction with lawmakers. He says people who register at the DMV are legally registered and should be allowed to vote in all races.

“It represents one more attempt to suppress votes in Kansas by our chief election officer. His job is to encourage voting and participation, not to disenfranchise lawfully registered Kansas voters,” says Carmichael.

Read the full story at http://kansaspublicradio.org/kpr-news/kobach-seeks-authority-create-two-tiered-kansas-voting-system

Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, has filed a bill to take away Kobach’s prosecutorial authority. He called nine cases for a single prosecutor a waste of prosecutorial resources.

Carmichael said the potential deterrent effect of prosecuting fraud depends on how many cases actually exist.

“I guess he’s identified roughly 20 cases of double voting and he has yet to file a case of voter impersonation fraud,” Carmichael said. “The voter ID requirement is burdensome to every Kansan, yet he has yet to show us a single case.”

Read the full story at http://cjonline.com/news/local/2017-01-18/topeka-lawmaker-asks-kobach-investigate-voters-he-believes-registered-under

“He’s one of the smartest guys in this Legislature,” said Rep. John Carmichael, a liberal Wichita Democrat. “He’s a fair man.”

Read the full story at http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2017/jan/16/new-kansas-house-speaker-getting-good-marks-loose-/

 “He’s one of the smartest guys in this Legislature,” said Rep. John Carmichael, a liberal Wichita Democrat. “He’s a fair man.”

Read the full story at http://cjonline.com/news/local/2017-01-16/new-kansas-house-speaker-getting-good-marks-loose-style

The bill passed after about 20 minutes of debate and only one amendment to the version that passed out of the Elections Committee.

Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, offered that amendment to clarify that independent candidates would have to wait for the governor to set the election before they begin collecting their signatures.

Carmichael said he only wanted to clarify the bill, not delay it.

“This is must-pass legislation in my view,” he said.

Read the full story at http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article126143674.html

Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, predicted Brownback will skirt the issue in his speech.

“I don’t have any faith whatsoever that the governor will offer any meaningful reforms or changes,” he said. “The governor has a record of making appeals to folks’ emotions rather than dealing with reality in his State of the State addresses, and I have no reason to expect any less of him tomorrow.”

Read the full story at http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article125521249.html

Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, predicted Brownback will skirt the issue in his speech.

“I don’t have any faith whatsoever that the governor will offer any meaningful reforms or changes,” he said. “The governor has a record of making appeals to folks’ emotions rather than dealing with reality in his State of the State addresses, and I have no reason to expect any less of him tomorrow.”

Read the full story at http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article125521249.html

Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, said allowing Kobach to bring criminal cases has not uncovered evidence of illegal immigrant voting fraud, which was a big part of Kobach’s pitch when the Legislature granted him prosecutorial power in 2015.

“Since that time, he has commenced approximately 10 of those prosecutions, all of them against United States citizens and in virtually every instance, against folks who made mistakes in casting their ballots,” Carmichael said. “Some of these cases have since been dismissed … as unfounded, and a handful more have resulted in minimal fines against otherwise law-abiding citizens.

Read the full story at http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article125310489.html