Why Does the Trump Administration Want Your Voter Registration Data?

homeless man registering to vote in Washington D.C. voter drive

by Oletta Branstiter

So far, 27 states have rebelled against the demand by the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, formed by President Trump, to provide state voter registration data for every voter in the nation. Secretaries of State received the directive on Wednesday, June 28.

According to The Hill:

The letter, signed by commission vice chairman and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R), asked for names, addresses, birth dates and party affiliations of registered voters in each state. It also sought felony convictions, military statuses, the last four digits of Social Security numbers and voting records dating back to 2006.

This new commission, established by President Trump’s executive order on May 11, is chaired by Vice President Mike Pence to “promote fair and honest Federal elections”.

Every state in the union received a letter on Wednesday, signed by Kobach, vice chair of the commission, “requesting information on voter fraud, election security and copies of every state’s voter roll data” to be delivered within two weeks.

Propublica.org expounds on the contents of the letter:

What changes, if any, to federal election laws would you recommend to enhance the integrity of federal elections?” asks the first question. The letter also asked for all information and convictions related to any instance of voter fraud or registration fraud, and it solicited recommendations “for preventing voter intimidation or disenfranchisement.” The letter fails to disclose what the federal commission plans to do with this information.

A few states have indicated that they plan to comply with the “request”, but refuse to provide personal voter information above and beyond what their states release to the public that already includes private addresses.

The Hill reveals the responses by several state representatives, including:

“The president created his election commission based on the false notion that ‘voter fraud’ is a widespread issue — it is not,” Lundergan Grimes said. “I do not intend to release Kentuckians’ sensitive personal data to the federal government.”

Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, a Republican, similarly said he won’t turn over any information to the panel, telling members of the voter fraud commission to, “go jump in the Gulf of Mexico.”

States, by law, oversee the voting processes that result in the electoral votes required in a Presidential election. The Office of the Federal Register and the National Archives and Records Administration perform basic functions in the Presidential Election to ensure that states provide bona fide electoral votes.

Similarly, The National Voter Registration Act, enacted in 1993, only allows the DOJ the authority to ensure that states keep voter registration lists accurate and up-to-date.

Disturbingly, this new federal commission appears to be an effort to create a national voter roll, apparently in an effort to prove Trump’s allegation that millions of illegal votes cost him the popular vote in November’s election.

Based on his recent Twitter tantrum attacking Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough of MSNBC, would it be unreasonable to distrust Trump’s motives for compiling and controlling the voter rolls of every state in our country?

Does the President’s fragile ego demand evidence that he, and not Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, proving that he alone is the winningest winner of all?

Did you vote for Donald Trump? Inquiring minds want to know.    

Featured image –  SHFWire photo by Emily Wilkins                
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