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Friday, Sep 14, 2012 7:00 PM UTC

Kansas gets birther-curious

Kansas officials are considering a challenge to Obama's ballot eligibility [UPDATED]

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Topics: Barack Obama, 2012 Elections, Kansas, Birthers, Kris Kobach, ,

Kansas gets birther-curiousPresident Barack Obama walks from Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

The Kansas secretary of state and other Republican state officials are considering whether to take the president off of the November ballot because, they say, he might not be eligible to run.

Kris Kobach, a Tea Party Republican who is also an informal adviser to Mitt Romney, is a member of the State Objections Board. He and Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt and Republican Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer are reviewing a complaint from Joe Montgomery, a concerned citizen, who says that the president has not adequately proven that he’s a natural-born American citizen. They have put off making a final decision until Monday, and have asked Hawaii, Arizona and Mississippi for more documentation.

“I don’t think it’s a frivolous objection,” Kobach said, as reported in the Topeka Capital-Journal. “I do think the factual record could be supplemented.”

Montgomery, who filed the complaint, is not buying the long-form birth certificate President Obama released last year, saying in his complaint that Obama holds both British and Kenyan citizenship. ”There is substantial evidence showing that much of Mr. Obama’s alleged birth certificates have been forged or doctored, and have not been confirmed as legally valid, true and accurate.”

One extremely conservative Kansas congressman told TPM that the objection won’t amount to much. “He’ll be on the ballot in Kansas,” said Rep. Tim Huelskamp.

Update: Joe Montgomery withdrew his objection Friday, telling the Huffington Post it was due to the public reaction: “I didn’t file this objection with the desire to involve anyone else. This is me expressing myself on a personal political level.”

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com. More Jillian Rayfield.

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