Saturday, July 8, 2017

Voter obstruction: Trump ordered all 50 states to hand over the birth dates, addresses, last four digits of social security numbers, and political affiliations of all registered voters.

Voters stand for 4 hours in Phoenix sun! 
Trump’s Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity issued a national order, asking all 50 states to hand over the birth dates, street addresses, last four digits of social security numbers, and political affiliations of all registered voters.1
This “election integrity” commission is led by notorious proponents of discriminatory voter ID laws and false claims of voter fraud – really, it’s an obvious attempt to push through nationwide restrictions on voting.
As of now, 20 states have outright refused to hand over any voting data to the commission, and 25 more have said they'd only submit partial data.2
But this is far from over. We need every secretary of state in the country to know that if they stand up to Trump’s voter suppression effort, the American people will have their backs.
Trump and his cronies in the Presidential Advisory Commission of Election Integrity like to rely on thoroughly debunked data about “voter fraud.” But let’s be clear, voter fraud is incredibly rare, if it happens at all.
If there was any confusion about whether this panel is really about “election integrity,” it’s ignoring the very real problem of foreign interference in our elections to focus on the imaginary problem of widespread illegal voting.
Trump doesn’t need our personal voting data to solve problems that aren’t really there. Instead, he’s re-paving a path built by many hardline Republicans to make it harder to vote. History shows us that voter restrictions disproportionately affect low-income communities and communities of color.3
Harsh voter restrictions also erode democracy, making it easier for demagogues to stay in power without being beholden to serve actual constituents’ needs.
Some states, like Virginia, Mississippi, Minnesota, and California, have outright refused to follow through on the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity’s request.4 While they’re leading by example, your state could be next to stand up for your privacy and deny this invasive request on our personal voting data.
- the team at Demand Progress
Sources:
1. Take Care Blog, “All Your Voter Data Are Belong to Us,” June 30, 2017
2. The Nation, "The Trump Administration’s Voter-Suppression Plans Are Backfiring Badly," July 5, 2017
3. Vox, “Trump’s “election integrity” commission wants every voter’s name, party ID, and address,” June 30, 2017
4. CNN, “Forty-four states have refused to give certain voter information to Trump commission,” July 5th, 2017

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