Dozens of States to Trump’s ‘Voter Integrity’ Commission: Get Lost
Commission Run by Attorney for Anti-Immigrant Hate Group
At least twenty-seven states have now told the White House commission created by President Trump’s Executive Order last month to investigate alleged voter fraud that they will not comply with a request from the commission to provide all of their publicly and protected available voter rolls data by mid-July.
27 states now opposing Kobach: AZ, CA, CT, IN, KY, MA, MN, MS, MT, NC, NM, ND, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI
— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) July 1, 2017
​The commission is chaired by Vice President Pence and was created by Trump after numerous allegations he made that as many as 5 million people voted “illegally” last November. According to the White House, the commission’s stated purpose is to recommend ways to improve the public’s confidence in the integrity of elections. Â
Former President Barack Obama’s head of the DOJ’S Civil Rights Divison says the commission’s intent is voter suppression.Â
In his statement released by his office Friday, New York’s Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo said:
“The electoral process is sacred and New York law has strong safeguards in place to prevent sharing of sensitive voter data and harassment against those who exercise their right to vote. New York refuses to perpetuate the myth voter fraud played a role in our election. We will not be complying with this request and I encourage the Election Commission to work on issues of vital importance to voters, including ballot access, rather than focus on debunked theories of voter fraud.”
Cuomo had tweeted that New York wouldn’t reply prior to releasing his statement, linking his tweet to a story by NPR published Thursday. The story detailed the letter sent to all 50 states by Kansas’ Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who was appointed Vice-Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity by President Trump.
The letter requested that all publicly available voter roll data be sent to the White House by July 14, five days before the panel’s first meeting. The information requested includes the names, addresses, birthdates, political party (if recorded), last four digits of the voter’s Social Security Number and which elections the voter has participated in since 2006, for every registered voter in the country.
NPR also noted that the letter also seeks views and recommendations on what laws and policies hinder officials’ ability to ensure the integrity of elections, what evidence officials have regarding instances of voter fraud or registration fraud, and what changes to federal law could be made to improve the integrity of federal elections.
Officials from other states stated unequivocally that their respective states will not disclose nor release sensitive voter information.
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla told NPR Thursday that he would not provide sensitive voter information to the commission.
“California’s participation would only serve to legitimize the false and already debunked claims of massive voter fraud made by the President, the Vice President, and Mr. Kobach,” Padilla, a Democrat, said in a statement.
Appearing on MSNBC late Friday, Kentucky’s Secretary of State rejected the presidential voter fraud commission’s broad request for voter registration information, saying “there’s not enough bourbon” in Kentucky to convince her to comply with the demand.
“There’s not enough bourbon here in Kentucky to make this request seem sensible,” Alison Lundergan Grimes told MSNBC. “Not on my watch are we going to be releasing sensitive information that relates to the privacy of individuals.”
“Not on my watch are we going to be turning over something that’s left to the states to run – elections are left to our states under the 10th Amendment – to the federal government.”
Mississippi’s Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said his office would refuse to cooperate with the voting-fraud commission, noting in a press release that the commission would be welcome to “go jump in the Gulf of Mexico.” He also noted that his office had previously fought in federal court to protect voters’ privacy.  “Mississippi residents should celebrate Independence Day and our State’s right to protect the privacy of our citizens,â€Â he added.
Brody Levesque is the Chief Political Correspondent for The New Civil Rights Movement. You may contact Brody at Brody.Levesque@thenewcivilrightsmovement.com.
To comment on this article and other NCRM content, visit our Facebook page.
Â
Image by hjl via Flickr and a CC license
Â
Â
Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.
NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.
Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.