Trump commission on voting fraud asks states for voter data
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — President Donald Trump’s commission investigating alleged voter fraud in the 2016 elections has asked all states and the District of Columbia for a list of the names, party affiliations, addresses and voting histories of all voters, if state law allows it to be public.
A Wednesday letter from the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity gives secretaries of state about two weeks to provide around a dozen points of voter data. That also would include dates of birth, the last four digits of voters’ Social Security numbers and any information about felony convictions and military status.
Some Democratic officials refused to comply, saying the request invades privacy and is based on false claims of fraud.
Trump lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton but has alleged, without evidence, that 3 to 5 million people voted illegally. In addition to the voter information, the letter asks state officials for suggestions on improving election integrity and to share any evidence of fraud and election-related crimes in their states.
The data will help the commission “fully analyze vulnerabilities and issues related to voter registration and voting,” vice chairman and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach wrote.
On Thursday, California’s secretary of state and Virginia’s governor, both Democrats, responded that they will not share the information and that attention would be better spent upgrading aging voting systems or focusing on Russia’s alleged election meddling. Trump has alleged “serious voter fraud” in both states.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat, said he is not sure whether he will share the data because of privacy concerns. Vermont’s top election official, Democrat Jim Condos, said it goes beyond what the state can publicly disclose.
In Missouri, Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said he is happy to “offer our support in the collective effort to enhance the American people’s confidence in the integrity of the system.” Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams, a Republican, said he’ll provide what state law allows.