Florida residents demonstrate
Federal order for voter info raises fears
outside the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office to protest a federal call for registered voters’ personal data, an effort they say appears aimed at messing with Florida voter rolls ahead of the 2018 elections.
A small group of protesters concerned about voter suppression staged a rally Monday outside the Supervisor of Elections office in Orlando to object to a federal call for voters’ personal data.
The Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, created by President Donald Trump, wants the information as part of a probe into alleged voter fraud during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump insists illegal votes cost him the popular vote, though he won both Florida and the White House.
“As a black man, this is a critical issue,” said David Porter, 62. “Ever since black people got the right to vote, [other] people have been trying to figure out ways to take that right away from us.”
He said he “unregistered” Monday as a voter.
Protesters said they feared that giving into the commission’s demand would lead to new laws intended to tamp down voter turnout in future elections.
“I think they’re going to get those names together and try to scare people from voting,” said Dave Welty, 72, who held a sign that read, “Will swap my voter registration for Trump’s tax returns.”
Carol Davis, who has registered voters for the League of Women Voters, said voter fraud is not rampant.
“Are there millions of voters voting twice using fake IDs? Stuffing ballot boxes? Are there millions of non-citizens voting or voters voting [in the names of] the deceased?” she said. “One study concluded it is more likely an American will be struck by lightning than he will impersonate another person at the polls ... ”
Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner wrote to the federal commission last week, saying the state could not comply completely with its record demands.
State law forbids election supervisors from sharing Social Security numbers, drivers license information or criminal histories of registered voters. It also prevents supervisors from releasing personal data for judges, prosecutors and police.
Protesters said Trump’s effort also may be intended to in-
terfere with voter rolls as the 2018 elections approach.
The state already has turned over voters’ names, addresses, dates of birth and political party affiliations, information considered to be accessible to the public.
Elections officials use information from voter registration forms to check for citizenship and to determine in which election a voter is eligible to cast a ballot. That information is not exempt from disclosure.
“If the Avon Lady wants to come in and buy the voter registration file, she can. It’s public record,” said Cindy Clark, Orange County’s director of elections.
She said voters can’t shield their data from the federal commission by “unregistering” because the information is already on county lists supplied to the state.