Kobach witness can’t support claim that illegal votes helped Hillary Clinton

[GMDino]

I tried to search for an appropriate thread to post this in.

http://www.cjonline.com/news/20180313/kobach-witness-cant-support-claim-that-illegal-votes-helped-hillary-clinton

Quote:KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Jesse Richman endured a blistering critique Tuesday of his estimate of 18,000 noncitizen voters in Kansas and said he couldn’t support claims by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote because more than 3 million illegal ballots were cast in the 2016 presidential election.

Richman, who teaches political science at Old Dominion University, testified as an expert witness for Kobach in a trial over the state’s voter registration law. Kobach, who is seeking the GOP nomination in this year’s governor’s race, has referred to the 18,000 figure as the best available estimate for showing proof of citizenship is needed to address widespread voter fraud.

American Civil Liberties Union attorneys took aim at shortcomings in Richman’s methods and presented two experts to refute his conclusions.

Varying estimates from Richman are based on small-sample surveys, including one in which six of 37 noncitizens said they tried to register to vote. Under questioning by ACLU attorney Dale Ho, Richman acknowledged he had no way of knowing if those six were successful in their efforts.

In another survey, Richman looked at suspended voters — those who didn’t provide proof of citizenship — and flagged any names that appeared to be foreign. Ho asked if, for example, a name like “Carlos Murguia” would be flagged. When Richman said yes, Ho informed him Murguia is a federal judge in the same courthouse where the trial is taking place.
Eitan Hersh, a political science professor at Tufts University, looked at comparable data and found five examples of people who voted before becoming citizens.

Hersh also discovered 400 people on the voter rolls who registered to vote before their recorded birth dates. In an allusion to voter fraud claims, Hersh said it would be ridiculous to suggest there is a widespread problem with parents registering their unborn children, calling it obvious administrative error.

Ho and Richman squabbled throughout the morning over Richman’s attempts to explain yes or no answers.

ADDITIONAL TRIAL COVERAGE
Woman describes help from Kobach’s office, using Bible to prove citizenship
‘Incredible and offensive’: Retired attorney feels sorry for Kobach team in voter fraud trial
Kobach prepared for ‘eventuality’ of losing voter registration case
ACLU: Report to Kris Kobach shows 5 illegal voters out of 1.3 million ballots
Kansas Democratic Party official instructed KU student not to provide documents to vote
Kris Kobach defends Kansas voter registration law, battles ACLU witnesses

“Let’s try to stick with the question I’m asking, rather than these things you try to volunteer,” Ho said.

Richman confirmed his research is intended for a popular audience, none of it has been reviewed by peers, and 200 political scientists signed a letter condemning his work.

U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson allowed Ho to show a video of Kobach talking to reporters in November 2016. In the video, Kobach said a survey revealed 11.3 percent of noncitizens reported voting, which means 28 million noncitizens nationwide would produce more than 3 million illegal voters. Richman said his study doesn’t support that claim and he isn’t aware of any research that does.

Casting further doubt on the merits of Richman’s surveys, Hersh noted the likelihood that people claim socially desirable responses. He likened someone claiming to be a voter to a single, 20-year-old man exaggerating his sexual prowess.
Stephen Ansolabehere, a professor of government at Harvard who developed a data source Richman used for some estimates, said Richman’s analysis of suspended voters actually shows the majority are legal residents who were denied the right to vote.

Tuesday was the sixth day of testimony in the trial, which is scheduled to resume Monday.