As uncertainty loomed about the outcome of the GOP primary for governor in the days after the Aug. 7 primary, Kris Kobach said it was unclear how many non-citizens voted in the election. Back then, the race was too close to call. But now, a week after he secured a 350-vote victory over Gov. Jeff Colyer, Kobach is dismissing concerns that voter fraud could have changed the election’s outcome. In an Aug. 21 Breitbart column, Kobach writes that his race against Colyer “was the closest in modern history in Kansas.” But he maintains that “it is highly unlikely that voter fraud changed the outcome,” despite telling The Star during the weeklong post-election feud between him and Colyer when a winner was undecided that it was unclear how many “non-citizens” voted in the Republican primary.
In the column, Kobach uses Kansas as an example of why strict voting measures, such as voter ID and a proof-of-citizenship law, which he describes as being “on hold” in the state, help voters have faith in election results.
“Fortunately, Kansas has the most secure election laws in the country,” Kobach said.
The proof-of-citizenship law that Kobach describes as being on hold was actually struck down by a federal judge in June.
On Aug. 9, when the election was up in the air, Kobach pointed to that judge’s ruling as a concern over voter fraud in the state.
“It was established at trial that the judge’s preliminary injunction allowed multiple non-citizens to register in Kansas,” Kobach said in an email that day. “Her final order undoubtedly had the same effect, but we do not know how many of those non-citizens voted on August 7.”
Full Article: Kobach said voter fraud in primary was unclear. Then he won | The Kansas City Star.