After narrowly losing a Senate race in deep-red Missouri, Jewish politician Jason Kander is heading back to the ballot box, this time as the head of a new group protecting voting rights.

The organization, Let America Vote, will fight so-called “voter identification laws,” passed in red states to fight the almost non-existent problem of voter fraud. Pushed by Republican legislatures, these bills have made it harder for constituencies seen as leaning Democrat, including students, minorities, the poor and the young, to access the polls.

“Voting in our country has never been easy, and unfortunately it’s never been guaranteed for everyone,” Kander said in a statement. “Let America Vote will make the case for voting rights by exposing the real motivations of those who favor voter suppression laws. For the first time, politicians intent on denying certain Americans the right to vote will first have to consider the political consequences.”

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Kander, who served previously as Missouri’s secretary of state, will have a board stocked with liberal grandees, including Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards, former White House spokesman Josh Earnest and Martin Luther King III. Kander is seen as a rising star within the Democratic Party, due to his youth, military service and ability to appeal to red state voters.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at solomon@forward.com or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

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