Important Sari Horwitz WaPo piece on Kobach:

Kobach, 50, first entered the national spotlight several years ago when he advised Mitt Romney on the idea of “self-deportation” for illegal immigrants during the 2012 presidential campaign. A former chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, Kobach also wrote Arizona’s strict “show me your papers” immigration law, and he has helped lead the fight against President Obama’s executive actions on immigration.

Thomas Hicks, chairman of the Election Assistance Commission, is shown in Silver Spring, Md. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

But now Kobach is the gladiator in a different battle — a major figure in a national movement to add more requirements for Americans to vote or register to vote. Since the Supreme Court struck down in 2013 a key part of the Voting Rights Act, Kobach has been at the center of many legal skirmishes over voting requirements that have popped up nationwide.

Sixteen states have made changes that will be in effect for the first time in a presidential election, many of them requiring photo identification at the polls. Kobach has gone a step further — pushing for states to demand proof of citizenship, such as a passport or a birth certificate, before allowing people to even register to vote. Election-law experts say the effort could reduce turnout in November.