Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has started to do something right.



This week, Kobach proposed legislation that would require every county to audit 1 percent of its election results after an election but before certification to determine if there are anomalies. If there�s cause, a wider audit could be ordered � with the power, of course, resting with the Kansas secretary of state. Oh, and it wouldn�t begin until 2017, after this year�s election when every seat in the Kansas Legislature is up for grabs.



The issue of elections and audits came to the surface this year when Wichita State University statistician Beth Clarkson asked to review voting machine tapes from 2014, citing oddities in the election results. Kobach, originally named in Clarkson�s legal effort but later dropped, countered that state law prevented him from giving Clarkson access to the records. Before the House elections committee, Kobach said he supports an audit of election results and records.



Kobach�s proposal opens the door to a more open review of elections to ensure that the vote of every Kansan is accurately recorded and counted. Clarkson, however, reserved celebration of the measure until it�s clear such an audit includes a paper trail to verify votes cast on electronic voting machines.



While a quick audit of a small percentage of votes, done during a very narrow window of time, is a step in the right direction, it doesn�t provide adequate time for a researcher to delve into the results. Likewise, for something as important as the integrity of our elections, it still puts far too much authority in the hands of a partisan office-holder. And nothing has been done to address the proprietary nature of the voting machines used in Kansas and elsewhere � leaving voters without information that could help assure the accuracy of the machines.



Kobach�s proposal might not be comprehensive, but it is clear that he has responded to a legitimate concern that has been raised by Clarkson and voters throughout the state, even the country, about making elections more secure and reliable.



And while Kobach has gained notoriety through his efforts to create barriers for people who want to vote � all in the name of protecting the integrity of elections � it�s nice to see that he�s at last taking a few measured steps toward meaningful policy.



Moving forward, the state should consider greater access to outsiders interested in auditing election results, ensure there�s a paper trail for all electronic voting and stop allowing companies to hide proprietary information about how electronic machines count and record votes.



By Jason Probst

Hutchinson News editorial board