Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach ordered a canvassing group to stop offering gift cards to voters, saying that paying anyone to vote breaks both state and federal law.
Story Snapshot
- Kobach sent a cease-and-desist letter, a formal written order to stop, to the group Bluestem Kansas.
- News reports have described Bluestem Kansas as a Democratic political action committee, or PAC.
- His office says it acted on one voter’s report that a canvasser offered the voter a $5 gift card.
- The group has not been charged with a crime, and it did not answer local reporters’ requests for comment.
- President Trump raised the case online and at a Kansas rally, calling it a criminal offense.
- The state asks anyone offered a reward for voting to call investigators at 785-296-2215.
Kansas Attorney General Moves To Block Alleged Vote Incentives
Kobach sent the letter on Saturday, October 31, three days before the November 3 general election. His office said a Kansas voter reported that a canvasser, a person who goes door to door for a cause or campaign, offered the voter a $5 gift card tied to voting. According to the attorney general’s office, the canvasser said he worked with Bluestem Kansas. The letter demands that the group stop offering voters any incentives tied to voting. “Offering anything of value in exchange for voting violates both Kansas and federal law,” Kobach said.
The order rests on that one voter’s report, according to the attorney general’s office. It is an order to stop, not a criminal charge, and no one has been charged. Bluestem Kansas did not respond to requests for comment from local reporters, and no public response from the group had been reported by Monday, November 2. News reports have described the group as a Democratic political action committee, or PAC, which is a group that raises and spends money to sway elections.
On Sunday, November 1, President Trump wrote in a social media post that Kobach had told him a “Radical Left PAC operative was caught on camera going door to door in Wichita offering gift cards to people for votes.” He added, “We have photographic evidence. This is a Criminal Offense!” He raised the case again that day at a rally in Salina. Sen. Roger Marshall, the Kansas Republican on the November 3 ballot, urged voters to “Please report any illegal election activity to the Attorney General’s office!”
What Kansas Law Says About Election Bribery
Kansas law calls this election bribery. It means offering or giving any benefit in exchange for a vote, for not voting, or for voting for or against a candidate. In Kansas it is a severity level 7 nonperson felony, which is a lower-level felony for a crime that does not involve harm to a person. Federal law also makes it a crime to pay, or offer to pay, anyone for voting in an election with federal candidates on the ballot.
The law looks at the deal, not the dollar amount. A $5 gift card is a benefit, the same as cash, if it is offered as a reward for voting. Groups may still knock on doors, urge people to vote and share facts about the election. The legal line is crossed when something of value is offered because a person votes.
Why The Cease-And-Desist Matters Before Election Day
The letter told Bluestem Kansas to stop at once and to keep all records about its canvassing. That includes emails, text messages, scripts, training materials, payment records and messages with vendors. Those records can show investigators who offered what, to whom and why. Kobach said he never thought a Kansas group would go door to door offering money three days before a general election. “This sounds like Chicago in the 1950s, not Kansas in the 2020s,” he said.
This is not the first such letter from Kobach this fall. In September, he ordered the League of Women Voters of Leavenworth County to stop giving $5 Starbucks gift cards to high school students who registered to vote. In that case, the reward was tied to signing up to vote, which federal law also bars.
What Comes Next Under The Law
No charges have been announced against the group or any canvasser. Kobach’s office is asking anyone in Kansas who was offered a gift card, cash or another reward tied to voting to call investigators at 785-296-2215. Callers are asked to share the date and place, what was offered, what the canvasser asked them to do, and any photos, videos or papers left behind.
Bottom Line For Kansas Voters
Kansas voters decide elections, not gift cards. Groups can work hard to get people to the polls, but they cannot reward a vote. “As long as I am attorney general, those who violate our election laws will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Kobach said. If anyone offers you something of value for your vote, the state wants to hear about it.
Sources:
forth.news, kctv5.com, wibw.com, yahoo.com, salina311.com, ag.ks.gov, law.justia.com
