Secretary of State Kris Kobach. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)
Kansas lawmakers have failed to make much progress this session on drawing new legislative and congressional district maps. Secretary of State Kris Kobach is now asking a federal court to step in and take over the redistricting process. Kobach is submitting various maps that lawmakers have considered, but he says federal judges -- or even his office -- could draw additional maps.
With state and federal election deadlines looming, Kobach says he can’t wait any longer for lawmakers to do their job. While courts have intervened in redistricting before, Kobach believes this is the first time the courts have been asked to draw all of the congressional and legislative maps in Kansas.
Meanwhile, senators called off a planned redistricting debate. The Senate president announced that the chamber's majority leader had to leave the Statehouse because of a family issue.