Leading Kansas Democrat under scrutiny for backing voter ID

Topeka, Aug 2 : The leading Democratic candidate for Kansas governor is under attack for her past vote in favor of tough voter identification policies.

Democrats are anticipating the very real possibility that their author and aggressive champion, conservative Kris Kobach, will win the Republican nomination.

No state had gone further in requiring prospective voters to provide papers documenting their U.S. citizenship when registering before a federal judge struck down the law in June.

But the Kansas law had strong bipartisan support when the Legislature approved it in 2011. One of the yes votes came from state Sen. Laura Kelly, of Topeka.

That vote has dogged Kelly in the final weeks before the Aug. 7 primary. Her two main rivals hope it prompts Democrats to abandon her as a prospective nominee.