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Home→News→Trump’s ‘Election Integrity’ commission requests states to provide full voter roll data

Trump’s ‘Election Integrity’ commission requests states to provide full voter roll data

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Whoa.

The request seems very intrusive – is it legal?

“last four digits of social security number if available”

and

“Please be aware that any documents that are submitted to the full Commission will also be made available to the public.”

Some are already worrying that they are preparing for voter suppression. I don’t know about that, but it’s not as though Kris Kobach has a good record in that regard!

May 12, 2017:

Kris Kobach, the ‘King of Voter Suppression,’ Will Lead Trump’s Sham Voter Fraud Commission. Be Afraid, Very Afraid.

I sat down with Dale Ho, director of the ACLU Voting Rights Project, to discuss the potential impact of the commission and what Americans can do to protect one of the most fundamental rights in our democracy. Below is a slightly edited version of our conversation.

What was your first thought when the news broke today about President Trump’s executive order on election integrity?

Dale Ho: That this was the first step in a plan to suppress voting in this country. There is no evidence that we have a problem with election integrity. You can tell that this is a sham commission just by the appointment of Kris Kobach, someone who has devoted much of his professional life to suppressing the vote, to vice-chair. It’s a circus show, designed to undermine confidence in our system and to reach a pre-determined result and to justify laws that make it harder for people to register and vote as a result.

Am I overreacting?

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humphrey
humphrey

“Am I overreacting?”……………..NO!

Since when have Republicans showed a hint of Election Integrity?

Vote Up8Vote Down 
June 29, 2017 4:42 pm
humphrey
humphrey

Also too. Any involvement of Kris W. Kobach in the matter reeks to high heaven. He is a real gem!

Vote Up6Vote Down 
June 29, 2017 4:45 pm
magsview
magsview

California Refuses To Cooperate With Trump Voter Fraud Probe

“California’s participation would only serve to legitimize the false and already debunked claims of massive voter fraud.”

Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a statement Thursday that Trump’s voter fraud commission’s request of personal voting data on every American voter “is a waste of taxpayer money” that aims to ratify a false claim that millions voted illegally.

California, which had more than 19.4 million registered voters as of February. is the first state to announce it will not comply with the commission’s request. Trump’s commission on Wednesday asked all states to provide personal information about registered voters. Trump has claimed, without evidence, that millions voted illegally in last year’s presidential election.

″I will not provide sensitive voter information to a commission that has already inaccurately passed judgment that millions of Californians voted illegally,” Padilla said.

Vote Up6Vote Down 
June 29, 2017 4:44 pm
polarbear4
polarbear4

Hopefully, all states will join in this.

Vote Up1Vote Down 
June 30, 2017 10:05 am
magsview
magsview

Vote Up5Vote Down 
June 29, 2017 4:45 pm
Benny
Benny

RNC has our voter profiles anyway that were breached a couple of weeks ago. Why would anyone comply?

Vote Up6Vote Down 
June 29, 2017 4:46 pm
Subir Grewal
Subir Grewal

We should all e-mail ElectionIntegrityStaff@ovp.eop.gov with our thoughts on the subject.

Vote Up5Vote Down 
June 29, 2017 10:30 pm
orlbucfan
orlbucfan

T and R!! Nope, we need to focus a laser beam on this garbage, and keep it focused.

Vote Up2Vote Down 
June 30, 2017 6:58 am
polarbear4
polarbear4

Geez. Thanks, mags!!!!

Vote Up1Vote Down 
June 30, 2017 10:05 am
magsview
magsview

Another one pushes back. This one is one the commission!

Lawson withholds info from Trump’s voter fraud commission, even though she’s a member

Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson won’t provide most of the voter information requested by President Donald Trump’s commission on voter fraud, even though she is a member of the commission.

“Indiana law doesn’t permit the Secretary of State to provide the personal information requested by Secretary Kobach,” Lawson, a Republican, said Friday in a statement.

She noted in her statement that only names, addresses and congressional district assignments are publicly available in Indiana.

That means Indiana won’t provide information about social security numbers, birth dates, political affiliation, voting history or other voter data.

Lawson is positioned to play a key role in shaping policy on such issues. She was appointed to Trump’s commission in May and will host secretaries of state from across the nation in Indianapolis next week for a meeting of the National Association of Secretaries of State.

As a state lawmaker, Lawson championed a bill in 2005 that made Indiana’s voter ID requirements among the strictest in the nation.

She also attracted headlines in September when she sent a letter warning county election officials about a shadowy voter registration group with Democratic ties. At the time, the group accused Lawson of playing politics and suppressing the vote.

Well I can why she was appointed to the commission! But doesn’t this kind of muck the whole thing up?

Vote Up1Vote Down 
June 30, 2017 2:05 pm
magsview
magsview

This may be the compromise for many states? Just hand over already-public information?

Trump Voter Fraud Panel Request For Information Gets Chilly Connecticut Reply

President Donald Trump’s special commission to investigate alleged voter fraud is asking Connecticut election officials for reams of personal data on all registered voters in the state and got a frosty reply from Secretary of the State Denise Merrill.

“In the spirit of transparency, we intend to share publicly-available information with [President Trump’s] Kobach Commission while ensuring that the privacy of voters is honored by withholding protected data,” Merrill said in a public response Thursday.

“Given Secretary Kobach’s history, we find it very difficult to have confidence in the work of this Commission,” Merrill said. She said the courts have “repudiated his methods on multiple occasions but often after the damage has been done to voters.”

Vote Up2Vote Down 
June 30, 2017 2:13 pm
magsview
magsview

Vote Up3Vote Down 
June 30, 2017 2:18 pm
magsview
magsview

Looks like a trend to only turn over already-public info?

Trump Voter Fraud Panel Request For Information Gets Chilly Connecticut Reply

“In the spirit of transparency, we intend to share publicly-available information with [President Trump’s] Kobach Commission while ensuring that the privacy of voters is honored by withholding protected data,” Merrill said in a public response Thursday.

In her response, Merrill said her office hasn’t been told exactly what fraud the commission is investigating and said the vice chairman of the presidential panel, Kris Kobach, “has a lengthy record of illegally disenfranchising eligible voters in Kansas.”

“Given Secretary Kobach’s history, we find it very difficult to have confidence in the work of this Commission,” Merrill said. She said the courts have “repudiated his methods on multiple occasions but often after the damage has been done to voters.”

Vote Up1Vote Down 
June 30, 2017 2:22 pm
magsview
magsview

I’m not displeased that Merrill used her reply to dis Kobach..

Vote Up3Vote Down 
June 30, 2017 2:24 pm
magsview
magsview

Lawson is on the commission!

Lawson withholds info from Trump’s voter fraud commission, even though she’s a member

A member of President Donald Trump’s commission on voter fraud from Vice President Mike Pence’s home state is withholding most of the voter information the commission requested this week.

Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson won’t provide information about voters’ social security numbers, birth dates, political affiliation or voting history.

She said in a statement Friday that state law only allows her to share voter names, congressional districts and addresses.

“Indiana law doesn’t permit the Secretary of State to provide the personal information requested by Secretary Kobach,” Lawson, a Republican, said Friday in a statement.

As a state lawmaker, Lawson championed a bill in 2005 that made Indiana’s voter ID requirements among the strictest in the nation.

I can see why she was put on the commission, but doesn’t this kind of muck the whole thing up?

Vote Up1Vote Down 
June 30, 2017 2:28 pm
humphrey
humphrey

The group keeps getting worse if that is possible.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/hans-von-spakovsky-voter-fraud_us_59566b20e4b05c37bb7de798

President Donald Trump on Thursday tapped Hans von Spakovsky, one of the most prominent voices for voter fraud, to his federal commission to investigate elections.

Von Spakovsky, who served in the Department of Justice’s voting section and the Federal Election Commission under former President George W. Bush, has long been an unapologetic proponent of voter ID measures. His appointment to the Election Integrity Commission raises serious questions about its neutrality, given his belief in widespread voter fraud and support of restrictive voting measures. Voting rights groups have been critical of the probe, which they say is merely a pretext for implementing more restrictive voting laws and justifying Trump’s claim that millions voted illegally in the 2016 election. Several inquiries have found that while voter fraud does occur, it is not widespread.

“There are few people who have worked harder to push voter suppression efforts than von Spakovsky. He was one of the key drivers of the politicization of the Justice Department’s civil rights work during the Bush administration,” said Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in a statement. “His appointment makes clear that the Election Integrity Commission is a vehicle intended to promote and advance policies that restrict access to the ballot box.”

Prior to von Spakovsky’s appointment, advocates raised concerns about Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R), who is leading the probe. Kobach is a staunch advocate for restrictive voting legislation and pushed a law in his state that required people to prove their citizenship when they register to vote and show photo ID at the polls. Federal courts have stepped in to block the law.

Vote Up2Vote Down 
June 30, 2017 3:15 pm
humphrey
humphrey

Also posted in the open thread.

I am glad for the negative feedback.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/340311-states-push-back-on-requests-from-voter-fraud-commission

A growing number of states are refusing to cooperate fully with President Trump’s voter fraud commission, setting the stage for a showdown over the nation’s elections.

The White House commission, led by Vice President Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, has asked all 50 states and Washington, D.C., to turn over publicly information on its voters, including names, birth dates, the last four digits of their Social Security numbers and party affiliation if the state law allows in the hopes of shoring up the nation’s election systems.

But state officials are crying foul over the request, refusing to turn over some or all of the information requested by the White House. Some states are going further, lampooning the request as part of an attempt to justify Trump’s repeated claims, presented without evidence, that millions of fraudulent votes were cast in the 2016 election.

Blue states aren’t the only ones refusing to provide information to the commission. A bipartisan list of officials in at least 20 states, including reliably red states like Mississippi and Oklahoma, had pushed back on the request as of Friday afternoon.

Vote Up2Vote Down 
June 30, 2017 8:25 pm
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