Trump’s “Commission on Election Integrity” wants detailed voter registration records from all 50 states. Many states limit access.
/1— ??Kathy E Gill (@kegill) June 30, 2017
On Wednesday, the Trump Administration sent letters to all 50 states asking for detailed voter registration information.
The man heading the effort to validate President Trump’s assertion that millions voted illegally is Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
Update 5 (4 July, 1.30 am Pacific)
The following states have indicated that they will not provide the Kobach Commission with all of the information it requested on Wednesday. These states are either ignoring the request, complying with their state laws (the request is for more than publicly available information), or waiting for assurances on how the data will be used.
AK, AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NH, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY
The following states have not received a letter:
AR, HI (unlikely to acquiesce), IL, NM (no), SC (no), WV (no)
And these states have no decision or no comment:
The request was for detailed voter registration data:
- First/Middle/Last names
- Date of birth
- Address
- Political party
- Last four digits of social security number
- Voting history since 2006
- Status (cancelled/inactive/active)
- Any registration in other states
- Felony convictions
- Military service
- Overseas voters
The letter asked state officials to deliver the data within two weeks, and says that all information turned over to the commission will be made public. The letter does not explain what the commission plans to do with voter roll data, which often includes the names, ages and addresses of registered voters. The commission also asked for information beyond what is typically contained in voter registration records, including Social Security numbers and military status, if the state election databases contain it…
David Becker, the executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, also expressed serious concerns about the request. “It’s probably a good idea not to make publicly available the name, address and military status of the people who are serving our armed forces to anyone who requests it,” he said.
Gizmodo noted that the email address states are to use to submit the data is not secure.
Marc Lotter, press secretary for Vice President Mike Pence, chairman of the commission, stated that “the letter was seeking information that is widely available in the public domain.” This is not true; only part of the information is public and some states restrict who can access the data and how it can be used.
See WiredPen for details on how each state makes voter registration data available.
Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com