{{Short description|Temporary commission created by President Donald Trump (2017–2018)}} {{Use American English|date=July 2017}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2018}} {{Infobox U.S. Presidential Document | executiveorder = 13799 | longtitle = Establishment of Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity | name = Executive Order 13799 | othershorttitles = | shorttitle = | depiction = President Trump is joined by Vice President Pence for an Executive Order signing (33803971533) (2).jpg | depictionalt = | depictioncaption = President Donald Trump, joined by Vice President Mike Pence, displays his signed Executive Order for the Establishment of a Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. | documentimage = Executive Order 13799.pdf | documentcaption = Executive Order 13799 in the ''Federal Register'' | signeddate = {{start date|2017|5|11}} | signedpresident = Donald Trump | documentnumber = 2017-10003 | publicationdate = {{start date|2017|5|16}} | documentcitation = | type = Executive order | summary = {{bulleted list|Identify rules and laws that enhance and undermine the integrity of the election process|Vice President chairs the Commission|Up to fifteen additional members|Other provisions}} }}
The '''Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity''' ('''PEIC''' or '''PACEI'''), also called the '''Voter Fraud Commission''', was a Presidential Commission established by Donald Trump that ran from May 11, 2017, to January 3, 2018.<ref name="WH">{{Cite news|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/05/11/presidential-executive-order-establishment-presidential-advisory|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511232125/https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/05/11/presidential-executive-order-establishment-presidential-advisory|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 11, 2017|title=Presidential Executive Order on the Establishment of Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity|date=May 11, 2017|work=White House|access-date=July 1, 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/trumps-voter-fraud-commission-is-facing-a-tough-data-challenge/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708155950/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/trumps-voter-fraud-commission-is-facing-a-tough-data-challenge/|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 8, 2017|title=Trump's Voter Fraud Commission Is Facing A Tough Data Challenge|last=Koerth-Baker|first=Maggie|date=July 7, 2017|work=FiveThirtyEight|access-date=July 7, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> The Trump administration said the commission would review claims of voter fraud, improper registration, and voter suppression.<ref>{{cite web|author=Lowry, Brian|url=http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article149910457.html|title=Civil rights groups fume about Trump's choice of Kris Kobach for voter fraud panel|date=May 11, 2017|work=The Kansas City Star|access-date=May 15, 2017}}</ref> The establishment of the commission followed Trump's false claim that millions of illegal immigrants had voted in the 2016 presidential election, costing him the popular vote.<ref name=TrumpDisbands/><ref name=nytkobach>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/11/us/politics/trump-voter-fraud.html|title=Trump Picks Voter ID Advocate for Election Fraud Panel|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 11, 2017|first=Julie Hirschfeld|last=Davis}}</ref> Vice President Mike Pence was chosen as chair of the commission and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach was its vice chair and day-to-day administrator.
On June 28, 2017, Kobach, in conjunction with the Department of Justice, asked every state for personal voter information.<ref name=KansasCityStar>{{Cite news|url=http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article158871959.html|title=Kris Kobach wants every U.S. voter's personal information for Trump's commission|work=The Kansas City Star|access-date=July 4, 2017|language=en}}</ref> The request was met with significant bipartisan backlash; 44 states and the District of Columbia declined to supply some or all of the information, citing privacy concerns or state laws.<ref name=CNN>{{cite web| author1= Liz Stark| author2=Grace Hauck| date= July 5, 2017| publisher= CNN| url= http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/03/politics/kris-kobach-letter-voter-fraud-commission-information/index.html| title= Forty-four states and DC have refused to give certain voter information to Trump commission| access-date= July 11, 2017| quote= at worst [the Presidential Advisory Commission] is a tool to commit large-scale voter suppression.}}</ref><ref name="PBSNewshour">{{Cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-commission-requested-voter-data-heres-every-state-saying|title=A Trump commission requested voter data. Here's what every state is saying.|work=PBS NewsHour|access-date=July 4, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>Allan J. Lichtman, ''The Embattled Vote in America: From the Founding to the Present'' (Harvard University Press, 2020), p. 223.</ref>
Trump's creation of the commission was criticized by voting rights advocates, scholars and experts, and newspaper editorial boards as a pretext for, and prelude to, voter suppression.<ref name=WashingtonPost>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-voter-fraud-commission-itself-is-a-fraud-itself/2017/07/18/89ad1298-6b24-11e7-96ab-5f38140b38cc_story.html "Trump's voter-fraud commission itself is a fraud"]. ''The Washington Post''. July 18, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2017, "...In fact, the real fraud is the commission itself...."</ref><ref name="AshCenter">[https://ash.harvard.edu/news/qa-miles-rapoport-presidential-advisory-commission-election-integrity Miles Rapoport on the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity], Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University (May 30, 2017): "President Trump's decision to establish a panel to study voter fraud and suppression, the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, has been roundly criticized by voter rights advocates and Democrats." ... [Miles Rapoport, Senior Democracy Practice Fellow Ash Center]: "There are a number of really serious problems with the Commission as it has been announced and conceptualized, which have led many people to say that its conclusions are pre-determined and that it will be used as an excuse for new efforts to restrict access to voting."</ref><ref name="Waldman">Michael Waldman, [http://www.brennancenter.org/blog/donald-trump-tells-his-voter-fraud-panel-find-me-%E2%80%98something%E2%80%99 Donald Trump Tells His Voter Fraud Panel: Find Me 'Something'], Brennan Center for Justice, New York University School of Law (July 20, 2017) (also republished at [http://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-tells-his-voter-fraud-panel-find-me-something The Daily Beast]): "The panel was created to justify one of the more outlandish presidential fibs ... After Trump was roundly mocked for his claim of 3 to 5 million illegal voters, the panel was launched in an effort to try to rustle up some evidence—any evidence—for the charge.... The purpose of the panel is not just to try to justify his laughable claims of millions of invisible illegal voters. It aims to stir fears, to lay the ground for new efforts to restrict voting. Trump's claims, after all, are just a cartoon version of the groundless arguments already used to justify restrictive voting laws."</ref><ref name="BermanWeigel">Mark Berman & David Weigel, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/trumps-voting-commission-asked-states-to-hand-over-election-data-theyre-pushing-back/2017/06/30/cd8f812a-5dce-11e7-9b7d-14576dc0f39d_story.html Trump’s voting commission asked states to hand over election data. Some are pushing back.], ''Washington Post'' (June 30, 2017): "Experts described the request as ... a recipe for potential voter suppression.... 'This is an attempt on a grand scale to purport to match voter rolls with other information in an apparent effort to try and show that the voter rolls are inaccurate and use that as a pretext to pass legislation that will make it harder for people to register to vote,' said Rick Hasen, an election-law expert at the University of California, Irvine. Hasen said he has "no confidence" in whatever results the committee produces. He said the commission and its request create a number of concerns, including that it is an election group created by one candidate for office—Trump, who already is campaigning for reelection—and headed by Pence, another political candidate. 'It's just a recipe for a biased and unfair report,' Hasen said. "And it's completely different from the way that every other post-election commission has been done."</ref><ref>Max Greenwood, [https://thehill.com/homenews/news/340609-newspaper-editorial-boards-rip-trump-voter-fraud-panel-for-july-4/ Newspapers rip Trump voter fraud panel in July Fourth editorials], ''The Hill'' (July 4, 2017).</ref><ref name=TrumpDisbands/> At least eight lawsuits were filed accusing the Commission of violating the law.<ref name=TrumpDisbands/>
On January 3, 2018, Trump abruptly disbanded the commission; he stated the claims of election fraud and cited many states' refusal to turn over information as well as the pending lawsuits.<ref name=TrumpDisbands/> The commission found no evidence of voter fraud.<ref name="Trump Panel Finds No Voter Fraud">{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Joseph |title=Trump Panel Finds No Voter Fraud |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2018-01-10/trump-commision-on-election-integrity-found-no-evidence-of-voter-fraud |access-date=9 November 2020 |agency=U.S. News & World Report |publisher=U.S. News & World Report |date=January 10, 2018}}</ref> At that time, Trump asked that the investigation be transferred to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which already holds much of the requested state voter data and oversees immigration records.<ref name=usnews>{{cite magazine|title=DHS to Continue to Look Into Voter Fraud|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2018-01-05/trump-ends-election-integrity-commission-but-voter-fraud-probe-continues|author=Williams, Joseph P.|date=January 5, 2018|magazine=U.S. News & World Report|access-date=January 10, 2018}}</ref> The acting DHS press secretary said that Kobach would not be advising or working with DHS, and the White House said it would destroy all the state voter data collected by the commission.<ref name="Trump Panel Finds No Voter Fraud"/>
==Background== ===2016 campaign=== {{Main|Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign#Uncertainty over accepting the election results}} During his campaign for President, Trump made numerous claims of voter fraud occurring in the United States.
In the weeks before the election, Trump urged his supporters to volunteer as poll watchers on Election Day, saying they were needed to guard against "voter fraud" and a "rigged" outcome. The rhetoric was seen by some as a call to intimidate minority voters or challenge their credentials to prevent them from voting.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/19/us/politics/donald-trump-voting-election-rigging.html |title=Donald Trump's Call to Monitor Polls Raises Fears of Intimidation|last=Gabriel|first=Trip|date=October 18, 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 4, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Gambino|first1=Lauren|title=Who's watching the poll watchers: what to expect on general election day|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/20/us-election-2016-poll-watchers-trump-vote-results|access-date=November 6, 2016|work=The Guardian|date=October 20, 2016}}</ref> Numerous organizations, including the Democratic Party officials and affiliates sued Trump accusing him of voter intimidation, in violation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-intimidation-idUSKBN12V28G|title=Democrats sue Trump for alleged voter intimidation in four states|date=November 1, 2016|work=Reuters|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref>
===Post-election=== On November 8, 2016, Trump won the 2016 United States presidential election, but lost the popular vote to opponent Hillary Clinton by about 2.9 million votes.<ref name=TrumpDisbands/><ref name="FECOfficialResults2016">{{cite web|title=Official 2016 Presidential General Election Results|url=http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2016/2016presgeresults.pdf|publisher=Federal Election Commission|date=January 30, 2017|access-date=March 13, 2017}}</ref> Trump falsely claimed that he won the popular vote "if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally" and that three to five million people voted illegally in the 2016 election.<ref name=TrumpDisbands/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/01/23/at-white-house-trump-tells-congressional-leaders-3-5-million-illegal-ballots-cost-him-the-popular-vote/|title=Without evidence, Trump tells lawmakers 3 million to 5 million illegal ballots cost him the popular vote|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42561699 Trump scraps his own voter fraud commission], BBC News (4 January 2018).</ref>
====Kris Kobach proposal==== On November 22, 2016, Kobach met with then President-elect Trump in his Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey in consideration for Secretary of Homeland Security position. The Associated Press photographed Kobach taking into his meeting with Trump a document entitled "Department of Homeland Security, Kobach Strategic Plan for First 365 Days" referencing a possible amendment to the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/kansas/articles/2017-06-23/judge-fines-kansas-elections-official-for-misleading-court|title=Judge Fines Kobach Over Document He Took to Trump Meeting|last=Hegeman|first=Roxana|date=June 23, 2017|work=U.S. News & World Report|access-date=July 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702064620/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/kansas/articles/2017-06-23/judge-fines-kansas-elections-official-for-misleading-court|archive-date=July 2, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/21/us/politics/donald-trump-transition.html |title=A List of Priorities From Trump, and Kris Kobach Tips His Hand|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 21, 2016}}</ref>
The American Civil Liberties Union, representing plaintiffs in a voting rights case, asked the federal judge to prevent Kobach from withholding from the public documents he presented to Trump by virtue of marking them "confidential". The plaintiffs demanded the public release of those documents that had been prepared with state funds, claiming Kobach "made statements to the public, the Court, and the President, suggesting that noncitizen registration fraud is a serious, widespread problem," while at the same time trying to hide those same documents that reject his claim, to prevent having to testify in open court about those materials.<ref name=ljw>[http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2017/jun/21/civil-rights-advocates-confidential-documents-unde/ Civil rights advocates: ‘Confidential’ documents undercut Kobach’s voting fraud claim], ''Lawrence Journal World'', Associated Press, June 21, 2017; retrieved June 22, 2017.</ref> In June 2017, the federal magistrate judge found that Kobach had made "patently misleading representations" to the court in the course of the document dispute. Kobach was fined $1,000 for "deceptive conduct and lack of candor" and ordered to submit to questioning under oath by the ACLU about the documents and about a draft amendment to the National Voter Registration Act "which would have added a line to the federal voter law that said states could request any information from voters they deem necessary."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Judge-fines-Kansas-elections-official-for-11242740.php|title=Judge fines Kobach over document he took to Trump meeting|last=Hegeman|first=Roxana|access-date=June 23, 2017|agency=Associated Press|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623230700/http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Judge-fines-Kansas-elections-official-for-11242740.php|archive-date=June 23, 2017|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name=ljw/><ref>{{cite news|title=Unsealed documents show Kobach urged Trump to change federal voting law|url=http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article177327621.html|last1=Lowry|first1=Bryan|last2=Woodall|first2=Hunter|date=October 5, 2017|work=Kansas City Star |access-date=January 18, 2018}}</ref>
===Voter irregularities in the United States===
====Voter impersonation==== {{Main|Voter impersonation (United States)}}
Only US citizens have the right to vote in federal elections.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=fb853a4107083210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=fb853a4107083210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD|title=The Right to Vote|publisher=United States Citizenship and Immigration Services|access-date=October 25, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111017175045/http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=fb853a4107083210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=fb853a4107083210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD|archive-date=October 17, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> While the United States Congress has jurisdiction over laws applying to federal elections, it has deferred the making of most aspects of election laws to the states. Therefore, the administration of voter registration requirements, voting requirements, and elections vary widely across jurisdictions.
Voter impersonation (also sometimes called in-person voter fraud)<ref name=booker>{{cite web | url=http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/aug/18/cory-booker/lightning-strikes-more-common-person-voter-fraud-s/ | title=Lightning strikes more common in Texas than in-person voter fraud, says Cory Booker | work=Politifact | date=August 18, 2015 | access-date=March 2, 2016 | author=Booker, Cory| quote=Voter fraud is 'the intentional corruption of the electoral process by voters. This covers knowingly and willingly giving false information to establish voter eligibility, and knowingly and willingly voting illegally or participating in a conspiracy to encourage illegal voting by others,' according to Lorraine Minnite, a professor at Rutgers and author of the book The Myth of Voter Fraud.}}</ref> is a form of electoral fraud in which a person who is eligible to vote in an election votes more than once, or a person who is not eligible to vote does so by voting under the name of an eligible voter.<ref name=booker /> In the United States, voter ID laws have been enacted in a number of states since 2010 with the aim of preventing voter impersonation. Research has shown that voter impersonation is extremely rare.<ref name="abc">{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/voter-fraud-real-rare/story?id=17213376|title=Voter Fraud: Non-Existent Problem or Election-Threatening Epidemic?|date=September 12, 2012|work=ABC News|access-date=December 9, 2015|author=Bingham, Amy}}</ref> There is no evidence that in-person voter fraud has changed the result of any election.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/trump-noncitizen-voters/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511193235/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/trump-noncitizen-voters/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 11, 2017|title=The Tangled Story Behind Trump's False Claims Of Voter Fraud|last=Koerth-Baker|first=Maggie|date=May 11, 2017|work=FiveThirtyEight|access-date=July 4, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>
In a few cases, permanent residents ("green card" holders) have registered to vote and have cast ballots without realizing that doing so was illegal. Non-citizens convicted in criminal court of having made a false claim of citizenship for the purpose of registering to vote in a federal election can be fined and imprisoned for up to a year. Deportation and removal proceedings have resulted from several such cases.<ref>Kirk Semple, [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/nyregion/17voting.html "Immigrants Find Voting Can Come At a Cost"]. ''The New York Times'', October 15, 2010.</ref>
In an analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law looked at 42 jurisdictions, focusing on ones with large population of noncitizens. Of 23.5 million votes surveyed, election officials referred an estimated 30 incidents of suspected noncitizen voting for further investigation, or about 0.0001% of votes cast. Douglas Keith, the counsel in the Brennan Center's Democracy Program and co-author of the analysis, said, "President Trump has said repeatedly that millions of people voted illegally in 2016, but our interviews with local election administrators made clear that rampant noncitizen voting simply did not occur. Any claims to the contrary make their job harder and distract from progress toward needed improvements like automatic voter registration."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brennancenter.org/press-release/new-survey-local-election-officials-debunks-trump%E2%80%99s-claims-millions-improperly-voted|title=New Survey of Local Election Officials Debunks Trump's Claims that Millions Improperly Voted in 2016|publisher=Brennan Center for Justice|language=en|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref>
====Voter registration irregularities==== {{see also|Voter suppression in the United States}}
Voter registration is the process of collecting applications to vote, adjudicating those applications, and maintaining the rolls of qualified voters. The process of voter registration is generally left to the states. In an effort to increase voter turnout, a state may adopt less restrictive policies, including motor voter registration and same day registration. In an effort to decrease ''in-person voter fraud'', a state may adopt stricter policies for registration, including proof of citizenship at the time of registration. Federal elections do not require proof of citizenship, only a statement on the signed application.<ref name="HPPR170717">{{cite news|last1=Koranda|first1=Stephen|title=Inaccuracies Posted On Kansas Secretary Of State Website Through Voter Registration Deadline|url=https://kansaspublicradio.org/kpr-news/inaccuracies-still-posted-kansas-secretary-state-website-through-voter-registration|access-date=July 31, 2017|publisher=High Plains Public Radio|date=July 11, 2017}}</ref>
Voter rolls may include erroneous superfluous entries as a result of fraudulent registration, or of failure to purge the roll when a voter dies, moves, or is sent to prison. A qualified voter may be legally registered in only one precinct. This is a matter of state law. In 2012, the Pew Trust estimated that 24 million voter records were inaccurate or invalid, including approximately 1.8 million records of deceased people who remained on voter rolls.<ref name="AP171025">{{cite news|last1=Cassidy|first1=Christina A|title=AP Fact Check: Voter roll problems do not equate to fraud|url=https://apnews.com/dc933d2883414b65a1c44ecf9db32904|access-date=July 31, 2017|publisher=AP|date=October 25, 2017}}</ref> In October 2016, Trump conflated these irregularities with voter fraud and wrongly cited the Pew report as evidence that 1.8 million people were fraudulently voting against him.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.factcheck.org/2016/10/trumps-bogus-voter-fraud-claims/|title=Trump's Bogus Voter Fraud Claims|publisher=FactCheck.org|date=October 19, 2016|first=Robert|last=Farley}}</ref> Voting twice is a third degree felony in most states.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Gifford|first1=Bill|title=People Who Vote Twice| url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2004/10/people_who_vote_twice.html|access-date=August 7, 2017|magazine=Slate|date=Oct 28, 2004|quote = Intentionally voting more than once in a federal election is a third-degree felony in most states and probably also violates federal election-fraud laws. The punishment varies from state to state but is usually up to five or 10 years in jail and fine of up to $5,000 or $10,000.}}</ref> Superfluous entries on a voter roll do not affect elections.<ref group="n">Erroneously voting using the superfluous entry instead of one's true registration entry does not impact the outcome of an election. Example 1: A person uses the mail in ballot of his deceased wife rather than his own to cast a vote. Example 2: A person owns two homes, is registered to vote in both homes, but only votes once. This is not uncommon. (For reference, see {{cite journal|url=https://psmag.com/news/why-are-so-many-people-registered-to-vote-in-multiple-states|title=Why Are So Many People Registered to Vote in Multiple States?|journal=Pacific Standard|date=January 27, 2017}})</ref>
Erroneous deletions from a voter roll can potentially affect an election outcome by preventing qualified voters from casting ballots. In November 2016, the New York City Board of Elections was ordered by a federal judge to make affidavit ballots available to people who believed their registrations were improperly purged.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bergin|first1=Brigid|title=Judge Orders NYC Board of Elections to Protect Purged Voters' Rights|url=http://www.wnyc.org/story/judge-orders-nyc-board-elections-protect-rights-purged-voters/|access-date=August 7, 2017|publisher=WNYC|date=November 5, 2016}}</ref> A computer analysis by ''The Palm Beach Post'' found that at least 1,100 eligible voters were wrongly purged from the Florida Central Voter File before the 2000 US presidential election, causing some eligible voters to be turned away at polling stations.<ref name="palmbeachpost1">{{cite news| url= http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/news/election2000/election2000_felons2.html | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20041010061949/http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/news/election2000/election2000_felons2.html | archive-date= October 10, 2004 |title= Felon purge sacrificed innocent voters | date= May 27, 2001 | author= Scott Hiaasen, Gary Kane and Elliot Jaspin | newspaper= The Palm Beach Post| access-date= October 25, 2013 }}</ref> Some commentators and courts have concluded that improperly conducted purges affect political parties differently and disenfranchise racial minorities.<ref>{{cite journal|last1= Pérez|first1=Myrna|title=Voter Purges |url=https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/legacy/publications/Voter.Purges.f.pdf| access-date=August 7, 2017 |publisher=Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law|date=Oct 28, 2004|quote=Some commentators argue that voter purges are simply a variation of older, more overt methods of disenfranchisement intended to reduce minority participation. Courts have agreed: one court overturned the aforementioned Louisiana purge, finding it "massively discriminatory in purpose and effect," and another referred to a Texas statute requiring yearly re-registration as a "direct descendant of the poll tax" that unconstitutionally disenfranchised voters. Although other courts differ on the motivations of purges, they do not deny that their effect can be discriminatory}}</ref> For instance, the 2000 Florida purge led to thousands of voters being wrongly disenfranchised, a disproportionate number of them black.<ref name="gu010216">{{cite news| url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/feb/17/usa.julianborger |title= Inquiry into new claims of poll abuses in Florida | date= February 16, 2001 | author= Julian Borger | newspaper= The Guardian| access-date= August 7, 2017 }}</ref>
==Commission== The Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity was a temporary commission established by President Donald Trump's executive order (E.O. 13799, 82 FR 22389) on May 11, 2017.<ref name="WH"/> White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the commission would provide the president with a report on their findings by 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|author1=Huckabee Sanders, Sarah |author2-link=Bossert, Tom |author2=Bossert, Tom |url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2017/05/11/press-briefing-principal-deputy-press-secretary-sarah-sanders-and|title=Press Briefing by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and Homeland Security Advisor Tom Bossert|date=May 11, 2017|access-date=July 19, 2017|language=en|via=National Archives |work=whitehouse.gov |author1-link=Huckabee Sanders, Sarah }}</ref>
Provisions:<ref name="WH"/> * Vice president shall chair the commission * President appoints members to the commission, the vice president may select the vice chair * The commission will report on laws, rules, policies, activities, strategies, and practices that enhance and undermine people's confidence in the integrity of the voting processes used in federal elections * The report should also identify voting systems and practices used for federal elections that could lead to improper voter registrations and improper voting, including fraudulent voter registrations and fraudulent voting * The commission will terminate 30 days after it submits its report to the president
===Members=== ;Commission members at time of disbandment<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2017/07/13/presidential-advisory-commission-election-integrity|title=Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity|date=July 13, 2017|access-date=July 15, 2017|via=National Archives|work=whitehouse.gov|language=en}}</ref>:<!--Highest position related to elections--> *'''Chair''': Mike Pence, Republican, Vice President of the United States, former Governor of Indiana *'''Vice Chair''': Kris Kobach, Republican, Secretary of State of Kansas, Of Counsel, Immigration Reform Law Institute *J. Christian Adams, Republican, former Department of Justice Civil Rights Division attorney *Ken Blackwell, Republican, former Ohio Secretary of State and previously state Treasurer *Matthew Dunlap, Democrat, Secretary of State of Maine *Bill Gardner, Democrat, New Hampshire Secretary of State *Alan Lamar King, Democrat, probate judge of Jefferson County, Alabama<ref name= Wines /> *Connie Lawson, Republican, Secretary of State of Indiana *Christy McCormick, Republican, Commissioner of the Election Assistance Commission *Mark Rhodes, Democrat, Wood County, West Virginia county clerk *Hans von Spakovsky, Republican, former member Federal Election Commission, senior legal fellow, The Heritage Foundation and director, Public Interest Legal Foundation
;Commission who left prior to disbandment *Luis Borunda, Republican, Maryland deputy secretary of state, resigned July 3, 2017 (prior to the commission's first meeting, but after the controversial letter by Kris Kobach to election officials in the different states)<ref>{{cite news|first=Luke|last=Broadwater|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-borunda-resigns-trump-20170703-story,amp.html|title=Maryland official resigns from Trump voter fraud panel|date=July 3, 2017|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun}}</ref> *David K. Dunn, Democrat, former Arkansas state representative, died October 17, 2017<ref>{{cite news|title=Lobbyist and ex-Arkansas state Rep. David Dunn dies aged 52|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/lobbyist-and-ex-arkansas-state-rep-david-dunn-dies-aged-52/|agency=Associated Press|date=October 17, 2017}}</ref>
Vice President Pence has been described as the titular head of the Commission on Voter Integrity with Kris Kobach, who also serves on the elections committee of the National Secretaries of States Association (NSOS), as its operational leader. According to the executive order, the commission can have up to sixteen members.<ref name="WH"/>
Dunlap and Gardner, the two Democratic secretaries of state on the commission, said they hoped the commission would look into Russian interference in the 2016 election, but Kobach said he did not think that the commission's investigation would go in that direction.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2017/06/22/members-trump-vote-fraud-panel-want-look-into-russian-hacking-well/8WNJUvB0Y08fWiNE5OQGhN/story.html|title=2 members of Trump's vote-fraud panel want to look into Russian hacking, as well - The Boston Globe|work=BostonGlobe.com|access-date=July 5, 2017|archive-date=September 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924194345/https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2017/06/22/members-trump-vote-fraud-panel-want-look-into-russian-hacking-well/8WNJUvB0Y08fWiNE5OQGhN/story.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Little movement on White House probe into voter fraud|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/22/politics/voter-fraud-commission-white-house-pence/index.html|date=June 22, 2017|publisher=CNN|first=Elizabeth|last=Landers}}</ref>
Unlike past presidential commissions on elections and voting (such as the Carter-Baker in 2001, Carter-Ford in 2004, and Bauer-Ginsburg in 2013), the leadership of the panel is not bipartisan<ref name="AshCenter"/> and the makeup of the panel is not evenly split.<ref name="Waldman"/> Rather, Pence and Kobach, the chair and vice chair of the commission, are both Republicans,<ref name="AshCenter"/><ref name="Waldman"/> and Republicans hold a 7 to 5 (originally 8 to 5) advantage in membership for the commission as a whole.<ref>Kenneth P. Doyle, [https://www.bna.com/trump-calls-election-n73014462000/ Trump Calls for Election Commission to Focus on Voter Fraud], Bloomberg BNA (July 19, 2017).</ref> The ratio favoring the Republicans increased to 7 to 4 when David K. Dunn died in October 2017. Also in October 2017, two of the four Democrats on the commission, Dunlap and King, sent separate letters to commission staff complaining that they are not being kept informed of commission activities.<ref>{{cite news|work=Associated Press|title=Trump voting commission criticized for lack of transparency|url=https://apnews.com/bbeec75d754a4f738acffacb1523429e/Trump-voting-commission-criticized-for-lack-of-transparency|date=October 22, 2017|first=Christina|last=Cassidy}}</ref>
Commission member Hans von Spakovsky, director of The Heritage Foundation's Election Law Reform Initiative, is said to have promoted "the myth that Democratic voter fraud is common, and that it helps Democrats win elections" according to a magazine article in ''The New Yorker''.<ref name=Mayer /> He has supported his claims about the extent of voter fraud by citing a 2000 investigation by the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'', which purported to find 5400 instances of deceased people in Georgia voting in the last twenty years.<ref name=Mayer /> The Journal-Constitution later revised its findings, noting that it had no evidence of even a single ballot purportedly being cast by a deceased person and that the vast majority of the instances in question were due to clerical errors.<ref name=Mayer>Jane Mayer, [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/10/29/the-voter-fraud-myth.html "The Voter Fraud Myth". The New Yorker. October 25, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2017.]</ref> In an interview with the ''New Yorker'', von Spakovsky cited two scholars who he said could substantiate that voter-impersonation fraud was rampant: Robert Pastor of American University and Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia. Pastor and Sabato both said they would only support voter ID laws if those IDs were issued without cost to the voters, and acquired without substantial difficulty.
It is Sabato's belief that voter impersonation is "relatively rare today,"<ref name=Mayer /> yet in a 2011 Heritage Foundation article, von Spakovsky referred to Sabato once more as a researcher whose studies established the existence of widespread voter fraud. He also has cited conservative columnist John Fund's ''Stealing Elections'', a book whose assertions of election fraud have been extensively debunked. Fund also co-authored a book with von Spakovsky.<ref>[https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2004/10/31/john-funds-book-on-voter-fraud-is-a-fraud/132213 Fund's book on voter fraud, is a fraud], ''Media Matters for America'', Nicole Casta, October 31, 2004. Retrieved September 13, 2017.</ref><ref>[http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/counting-on-the-indian-vote/article_4e575e5a-1f66-5ed4-b6b3-5d05993cc5bb.html Counting on the Indian Vote], ''Rapid City Journal'', Denise Ross, May 25, 2005. Retrieved September 13, 2017.</ref> In an email, von Spakovsky urged Trump's Attorney General Jeff Sessions not to appoint any Democrats, "moderate Republicans and/or academics" to the commission.<ref name= Wines>[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/12/us/voter-fraud-panel.html Democrats on Voter Fraud Panel Join Those Criticizing It], ''New York Times'', Michael Wines, September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2017.</ref> According to Richard L. Hasen, an election-law expert at the University of California at Irvine, "there are number of people who have been active in promoting false and exaggerated claims of voter fraud and using that as a pretext to argue for stricter voting and registration rules. And von Spakovsky is at the top of the list." Hasen said that Trump's appointment of Spakovsky's was "a big middle finger" to people who are "serious about fixing problems with our elections."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/06/30/trumps-pick-to-investigate-voter-fraud-is-freaking-out-voting-rights-activists/|title=Trump's pick to investigate voter fraud is freaking out voting rights activists|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=September 13, 2017}}</ref>
One of Trump's appointees to the commission, Ken Blackwell, was Ohio Secretary of State for two terms beset with controversy, lawsuits, and accusations that he had created impediments to voting. During the 2004 presidential election, Blackwell attempted to throw out voter registrations in Ohio that were not printed on "white, uncoated paper of not less than 80-pound text weight" (a heavy card-stock paper) and the 2004 election in the state was marred by "controversies over topics ranging from voting devices to long lines on Election Day."<ref>Darrel Rowland, [https://www.dispatch.com/news/20170514/capitol-insider-ken-blackwell-not-only-member-of-trump-voting-fraud-panel-whos-seen-controversy Capitol Insider: Ken Blackwell not only member of Trump voting-fraud panel who's seen controversy], ''The Columbus Dispatch'' (May 14, 2017).</ref><ref name=Lee>Kurtis Lee, [https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pol-blackwell-voter-commission-20170709-story.html Former Ohio official who accidentally released Social Security numbers is on Trump's voter fraud panel], ''Los Angeles Times'' (July 6, 2017).</ref> Blackwell revoked the order after county clerks said it was unnecessary, and voting rights advocates called in any attempt at voter suppression.<ref name=Lee/> Also in 2004, Blackwell ordered clerks to toss out provisional ballots cast in the wrong precinct, a policy criticized by voting rights advocates but ultimately permitted by a federal appeals court.<ref name=Lee/> In March 2006, Blackwell's office also inadvertently released the Social Security numbers of 5.7 million voters.<ref name=Lee/>
==Commission activity==
===2017 request for voter information=== ====First request==== On June 28, 2017, Kris Kobach, in his capacity as vice chair of the commission, wrote a letter along with the Department of Justice to the top election official in every state requesting they turn over voter data ostensibly to aid a countrywide search for evidence of election irregularities. Besides information such as the names, addresses and party affiliations of all registered voters, Kobach sought birth dates, felony conviction records, voting histories for the past decade and the last four digits of all voters' Social Security numbers.<ref name=new/> Many states' election officials claim they never received the request and some said they only forward the request from another state's secretary of state.
The letter was not made public, and it became publicly known only after Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, tweeted out an image of the letter the day after the letter was written. Along with the image of the letter, she wrote "Pence and Kobach are laying the groundwork for voter suppression, plain & simple."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/vanitaguptaCR/status/880479649817649152|title=The letter @KrisKobach1787 is sending to states confirms: Pence and Kobach are laying the groundwork for voter suppression, plain & simple.pic.twitter.com/22Ub1TxRS1|last=Gupta|first=Vanita|date=June 29, 2017|website=Twitter|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> A few hours after Gupta's tweet, Kobach confirmed to ''The Kansas City Star'' that the letter was authentic.<ref name=KansasCityStar/>
Kobach provided an e-mail address and a website for the election official to electronically submit the personal voter data. The e-mail address lacked basic encryption technology and was found to be insecure.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://gizmodo.com/trumps-election-fraud-commission-asked-states-to-send-s-1796535568|title=Trump's Election Fraud Commission Asked States to Send Sensitive Voter Information Over Insecure Email|last=Conger|first=Dell Cameron and Kate|work=Gizmodo|access-date=July 4, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>
The request may have violated the federal Paperwork Reduction Act because it was not submitted to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) prior to being made to the states. The submission to the OIRA would have required a justification and an explanation of how the data would be used and protected. Additionally, the request did not come with an estimate of how many hours it would take the states to respond. Regulatory experts opined that the consequence of a violation would be that states would not be required to respond.<ref>{{cite news|date=July 5, 2017|title=Voter fraud commission may have violated law|url=https://thehill.com/regulation/other/340738-voter-fraud-commission-may-have-violated-law/?rnd=1499292453|newspaper=The Hill|first1=Lydia|last1=Wheeler|first2=Mike|last2=Lillis}}</ref>
In January 2018, it was reported that the commission had, in its requests for Texas voter data, specifically asked for data that identifies voters with Hispanic surnames.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/trump-election-fraud-commission-bought-texas-election-data-flagging-hispanic-voters/2018/01/22/2791934a-fd55-11e7-ad8c-ecbb62019393_story.html|title=Trump voting commission bought Texas election data flagging Hispanic voters|last1=Hsu|first1=Spencer S.|date=January 22, 2018|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=January 22, 2018|last2=Wagner|first2=John|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
====Second request==== On July 25, 2017, Kobach told the ''Kansas City Star'' that he intended to send another request for voter data, after receiving a favorable ruling in a lawsuit filed by the Electronic Privacy Information Center. The court had ruled against the center's motion to stop the commission from trying to collect the data, stating that the commission had only made a request, not a demand or an attempt to force.<ref name=new>{{cite news|title=After legal victory, Kobach says states will be sent new letter for voter information|url=http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article163476738.html|date=July 25, 2017|newspaper=Kansas City Star|first=Hunter|last=Goodall}}</ref> The letter was sent the following day, and it differed from the first request by the addition "if state law allows [the] information to be public". <!-- California's response may be deleted once the table is expanded to include responses to the 2nd request --> The California Secretary of State announced that it would refuse to comply with the second request.<ref>{{cite news|title=California rebuffs 2nd Trump commission voter data request|first=Sophia|last=Bollag|date=July 27, 2017|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=Sacramento Bee|url=http://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article163857383.html|access-date=July 27, 2017|archive-date=August 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809003240/http://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article163857383.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
====State responses==== There was an immediate bipartisan backlash and rejection of the inquiries with a majority of states quickly rejecting the requests.<ref name=CNN/><ref name="PBSNewshour"/><ref name=WashingtonPost/><ref>Berman, Ari (July 5, 2017). [https://www.thenation.com/article/the-trump-administrations-voter-suppression-plans-are-backfiring-badly/ "The Trump Administration’s Voter-Suppression Plans Are Backfiring Badly"]. ''The Nation''.</ref> Notably, commissioners Kobach, Dunlap, and Lawson (who also serve as the secretaries of state for Kansas, Maine, and Indiana respectively, with Indiana being Mike Pence's home state) indicated that their state laws forbade them from complying.<ref name="launch">[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/30/us/politics/kris-kobach-states-voter-fraud-data.html Asked for Voters’ Data, States Give Trump Panel a Bipartisan ‘No’], ''New York Times'', Michael Wines, June 30, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/06/30/kris-kobach-says-hes-cant-comply-with-kris-kobachs-voter-data-request/ Kris Kobach says he can’t comply with Kris Kobach’s voter data request], ''Washington Post'', Christopher Ingraham, June 30, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.</ref> Some states offered to only provide information that is already made public or available for purchase.<ref name="PBSNewshour"/> No state has said they will fully comply with the list of demands.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brennancenter.org/latest-updates-fraud-commission|title=State Responses to Commission Requests|publisher=Brennan Center for Justice|language=en|access-date=July 6, 2017}}</ref> In response, Trump made a statement on Twitter, "Numerous states are refusing to give information to the very distinguished VOTER FRAUD PANEL. What are they trying to hide?"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/881137079958241280|title=Numerous states are refusing to give information to the very distinguished VOTER FRAUD PANEL. What are they trying to hide?|last=Trump|first=Donald J.|date=July 1, 2017|website=Twitter|access-date=July 15, 2017}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible collapsible collapsed plainrowheaders" style="margin:1em auto;" |+'''Responses by election officials of the various states''' |- ! scope="col" |State ! scope="col" |Officeholder ! scope="col" |Party ! scope="col" |Received request? ! scope="col" |Official response ! scope="col" class="unsortable" |Notes |- ! scope="row" |Alabama |{{sortname|John|Merrill|John Merrill (American politician)}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will sell public information}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sos.alabama.gov/newsroom/secretary-merrill-responds-questions-about-letter-presidential-advisory-commission|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706135801/http://sos.alabama.gov/newsroom/secretary-merrill-responds-questions-about-letter-presidential-advisory-commission|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 6, 2017|title=Secretary Merrill Responds to Questions About Letter from the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity|website=sos.alabama.gov|language=en|access-date=July 6, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Alaska |{{sortname|Byron|Mallott}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will provide public information}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ltgov.alaska.gov/newsroom/2017/06/30/division-of-elections-protocol-on-dissemination-of-voter-information/|title=Division of Elections' Protocol on Dissemination of Voter Information|website=ltgov.alaska.gov|language=en-US|access-date=July 4, 2017|archive-date=September 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930014130/https://ltgov.alaska.gov/newsroom/2017/06/30/division-of-elections-protocol-on-dissemination-of-voter-information/|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Arizona |{{sortname|Michele|Reagan}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.recorder.pima.gov/PressRelease/2017/2017%200703%20AZSOS%20Response%20to%20Kobach%20Letter.pdf|title=AZSOS Response to Kobach Letter|last=Reagan|first=Michele|date=July 3, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Arkansas |{{sortname|Mark|Martin|Mark Martin (Arkansas politician)}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will provide public information}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.4029tv.com/article/arkansas-to-give-partial-voter-information-to-voter-integrity-commission/10261303|title=Arkansas to give partial voter information to Voter Integrity Commission|date=July 5, 2017|work=KHBS|access-date=July 6, 2017|language=en}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |California |{{sortname|Alex|Padilla}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sos.ca.gov/administration/news-releases-and-advisories/2017-news-releases-and-advisories/secretary-state-alex-padilla-responds-presidential-election-commission-request-personal-data-california-voters/|title=Secretary of State Alex Padilla Responds to Presidential Election Commission Request for Personal Data of California Voters {{!}} California Secretary of State|website=www.sos.ca.gov|access-date=July 6, 2017|date=June 29, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Colorado |{{sortname|Wayne|Williams|Wayne W. Williams}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will provide public information}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/newsRoom/pressReleases/2017/PR20170629VoterFiles.html|title=News Release|website=www.sos.state.co.us|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Connecticut |{{sortname|Denise|Merrill}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ct.gov/sots/Lib/sots/RELEASES/2017/Merrill_response_to_Kris_Kobach_Presidential_Advisory_Commission_on_Election_Integrity.pdf|title=Merrill response to Kris Kobach Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity|last=Merrill|first=Denise|date=July 2, 2017|access-date=July 5, 2017|archive-date=July 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170721125237/http://www.ct.gov/sots/Lib/sots/RELEASES/2017/Merrill_response_to_Kris_Kobach_Presidential_Advisory_Commission_on_Election_Integrity.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> |Initially planned to comply with state allowed public information.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ct.gov/sots/lib/sots/releases/2017/06-29-2017_-kobach_commission.pdf|title=Secretary Merrill on the Letter from the Kobach Commission|last=Secretary of the State Connecticut|date=June 29, 2017|access-date=July 4, 2017|archive-date=October 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010034607/http://www.ct.gov/sots/lib/sots/releases/2017/06-29-2017_-kobach_commission.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |Delaware |{{sortname|Jeffrey|Bullock|Jeffrey W. Bullock}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.delaware.gov/2017/07/03/delaware-will-not-provide-voter-information-white-house-commission/|title=Delaware will not provide voter information to White House commission|date=July 3, 2017|website=State of Delaware News|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |District of Columbia |{{sortname|Lauren|Vaughan}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/VP/status/882707262145515522|title="Real news" -> 36 states have agreed or are considering providing publicly available voter data to @POTUS Election Integrity Commission.|last=Pence|first=Mike|date=July 5, 2017|website=Twitter|access-date=July 6, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Florida |{{sortname|Ken|Detzner}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will provide public information}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/analysis/Florida_DOS_Letter_to_Presidential_Advisory_Commission.pdf|title=Florida DOS Letter to Presidential Advisory Commission|last=Detzner|first=Ken|date=July 6, 2017|via=Brennan Center for Justice|access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Georgia |{{sortname|Brian|Kemp}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will sell public information}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/georgia-will-charge-trump-commission-voter-fraud-for-public-data/T3fbeeKbKKc3a4rZGRJB9I/|title=Georgia will charge Trump commission on voter fraud for public data|last=Torres|first=Kristina|newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|access-date=July 6, 2017}}</ref> |$250 |- ! scope="row" |Hawaii |{{sortname|Shan|Tsutsui}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{No}} |{{n/a}} | |- ! scope="row" |Idaho |{{sortname|Lawerence|Denney}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Maybe|In review}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sos.idaho.gov/PressRelease/VOTING%20RECORDS%20press%20release.pdf|title=Voting Records press release|last=Denney|first=Lawerence|date=July 3, 2017|access-date=July 5, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Illinois |{{sortname|Jesse|White|Jesse White (politician)}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.elections.il.gov/Downloads/AboutTheBoard/PDF/ElectionIntegrity_2017_July_7.pdf|title=Presidential Advisory Commission Voter Data Request Response|last=Menzel|first=Kenneth|date=July 7, 2017|website=Illinois State Board of Elections|access-date=July 8, 2017|archive-date=January 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190116214142/https://www.elections.il.gov/Downloads/AboutTheBoard/PDF/ElectionIntegrity_2017_July_7.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> |Will not provide private information<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.elections.il.gov/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=i+dxdFxzE4c=|title=Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity Request|website=www.elections.il.gov|language=en-US|access-date=July 6, 2017|archive-date=February 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225152108/http://www.elections.il.gov/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=i+dxdFxzE4c=|url-status=dead}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |Indiana |{{sortname|Connie|Lawson}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will provide public information}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/SecretaryLawson/status/880809294228320256|title=My statement on the CEI's request for voter information|last=Lawson|first=Connie|date=June 30, 2017|website=Twitter|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> |Mike Pence's home state |- ! scope="row" |Iowa |{{sortname|Paul|Pate}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will sell public information}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/IowaSOS/status/880831481526071300|title=My response for those asking about the letter from the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity|last=State|first=Iowa Sec of|date=June 30, 2017|website=Twitter|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Kansas |{{sortname|Kris|Kobach}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will provide public information}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/BryanLowry3/status/880874704659259392|title=Kobach now says Kansas won't be sharing the last 4 social. Update coming on ...KansasCity.com soon #ksleg|last=Lowry|first=Bryan|publisher=Twitter|date=June 30, 2017|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> |Vice Chair of Commission |- ! scope="row" |Kentucky |{{sortname|Alison|Grimes|Alison Lundergan Grimes}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=SOS&prId=129|title=Secretary Grimes Statement on Presidential Election Commission's Request for Voters' Personal Information|website=www.kentucky.gov|language=en-us|access-date=July 6, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Louisiana |{{sortname|Tom|Schedler}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will sell public information}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sos.la.gov/Pages/NewsAndEvents.aspx#faq164|title=News & Events|website=www.sos.la.gov|language=en-us|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Maine |{{sortname|Matthew|Dunlap}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/MaineSOS/posts/1557032821015086|title=Maine Department of the Secretary of State|website=www.facebook.com|language=en|access-date=July 6, 2017}}</ref> |Member of Commission. Initially planned to comply with state allowed public information.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.state.me.us/sos/news/2017/voterreginfo.html|title=Secretary Dunlap assures citizens of protections for voter registration information|website=www.state.me.us|language=en|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |Maryland |{{sortname|John|Wobensmith|John C. Wobensmith}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.elections.state.md.us/press_room/Kobach_VR%20data%20request%2007022017.pdf|title=Kobach_VR data request 07022017|last=Lamone|first=Linda|date=July 3, 2017|publisher=Maryland State Board of Elections|access-date=July 5, 2017}}</ref> |Against state law.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/BrianFrosh/status/881909447077048321|title=The assistant attorneys general representing SBE have considered the request and have determined the disclosure is prohibited by law.|last=Frosh|first=Brian|date=July 3, 2017|website=Twitter|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |Massachusetts |{{sortname|William|Galvin|William F. Galvin}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://commonwealthmagazine.org/politics/galvin-wont-cooperate-with-trump-voter-fraud-panel/|title=Galvin won't cooperate with Trump voter fraud panel |date=June 29, 2017|work=CommonWealth Magazine|access-date=July 6, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Michigan |{{sortname|Ruth|Johnson}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will provide public information}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/MichiganSoS/posts/1496565293733108|title=Michigan Secretary of State's Office|website=Facebook|language=en|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Minnesota |{{sortname|Steve|Simon}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sos.state.mn.us/about-the-office/news-room/secretary-simon-statement-on-request-from-presidential-advisory-commission-on-election-integrity/|title=Office of the State of Minnesota Secretary of State|website=Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State|language=en|date=June 30, 2017|access-date=July 6, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Mississippi |{{sortname|Delbert|Hosemann}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Maybe|No, but forwarded}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sos.ms.gov/About/Pages/Press-Release.aspx?pr=800|title=Press Release|website=www.sos.ms.gov|language=en-us|access-date=July 4, 2017|archive-date=May 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502034302/https://www.sos.ms.gov/About/Pages/Press-Release.aspx?pr=800|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Missouri |{{sortname|Jay|Ashcroft}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will provide public information}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/missouri-give-trump-commission-limited-voter-details-whiie-llinois-waits-white-house-request#stream/0|title=Missouri to give Trump commission limited voter details, as Illinois waits for White House request|last=Mannies|first=Jo|access-date=July 4, 2017|language=en}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Montana |{{sortname|Corey|Stapleton}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{No}} |{{n/a}} |Plans to not comply<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://helenair.com/news/politics/state/montana-won-t-give-up-private-voter-info-to-trump/article_a4744742-f9bc-5976-8d2e-f275d8defed3.html|title=Montana won't give up private voter info to Trump commission|author=Michels, Holly K.|work=Independent Record|location=Helena, Montana|access-date=July 4, 2017|language=en}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |Nebraska |{{sortname|John|Gale|John A. Gale}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}} |Will not comply until more details are received.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.wowt.com/content/news/Nebraska-Secretary-of-State-wants-more-details-before-deciding-on-release-of-voter-information-432942203.html|title=Nebraska Secretary of State wants more details before deciding on release of voter information|last=WOWT|access-date=July 8, 2017|language=en}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |Nevada |{{sortname|Barbara|Cegavske}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will provide public information}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nvsos.gov/sos/Home/Components/News/News/2246/309?backlist=/sos|title=Nevada Secretary of State : Press Releases|website=nvsos.gov|language=en|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |New Hampshire |{{sortname|Bill|Gardner|Bill Gardner (politician)}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will provide public information}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.concordmonitor.com/Trump-election-commission-wants-information-on-every-voter-in-America-11030177|title=New Hampshire to submit voting records to Trump's election commission|last=Morris|first=Allie|date=June 30, 2017|work=Concord Monitor|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> |Commission member |- ! scope="row" |New Jersey |{{sortname|Kim|Guadagno}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Maybe|In review}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/NJTVNews/status/882682121407672321|title= NJ will not fully comply with @realDonaldTrump's voter commission on election integrity. @CruzNJTV has the full story tonight.|date=July 5, 2017|publisher=NJTV/Twitter|access-date=July 6, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |New Mexico |{{sortname|Maggie|Toulouse Oliver}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Maybe|No, but forwarded}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abqjournal.com/1027725/fourth-democrat-seeks-pearces-seat.html|title=Toulouse Oliver tells MSNBC she won't go along with voter fraud 'witch hunt'|author=Coleman, Michael|website=Albuquerque Journal|language=en-US|date=July 4, 2017|access-date=July 6, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |New York |{{sortname|Cesar|Perales|Cesar A. Perales}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/NYGovCuomo/status/880821475577659392|title=NY refuses to perpetuate the myth voter fraud played a role in our election. We will not comply with this request.|author=Cuomo, Andrew|date=June 30, 2017|website=Twitter|access-date=July 4, 2017|author-link=Cuomo, Andrew}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |North Carolina |{{sortname|Elaine|Marshall}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will provide public information}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/NCSBE/status/880816326218055680|title=See statement below about the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity's data request. #ncpolpic.twitter.com/7QItP6czqr|date=June 30, 2017|author=Gannon, Patrick|publisher=North Carolina State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement on Twitter|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> |Governor Roy Cooper requested that the State Board of Elections not comply<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/NC_Governor/status/880838698484592640|title=Governor Cooper released the following comment after a new federal government commission requested that states turnover voter|last=Cooper|first=Governor Roy|date=June 30, 2017|website=@NC_Governor|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |North Dakota |{{sortname|Al|Jaeger|Alvin Jaeger}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.inforum.com/news/government/4291508-nd-law-prevents-officials-giving-voter-info-trump-commission|title=ND law prevents officials from giving voter info to Trump commission|access-date=July 6, 2017|language=en|author=Hageman, John|date=June 30, 2017|newspaper=The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead|archive-date=October 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002141555/http://www.inforum.com/news/government/4291508-nd-law-prevents-officials-giving-voter-info-trump-commission|url-status=dead}}</ref> |North Dakota is the only state without voter registration. |- ! scope="row" |Ohio |{{sortname|Jon|Husted|Jon A. Husted}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will provide public information}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/mediaCenter/2017/2017-06-30-a.aspx|title=Statement from Secretary Husted|website=www.sos.state.oh.us|language=en|access-date=July 4, 2017|archive-date=July 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712013328/http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/mediaCenter/2017/2017-06-30-a.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Oklahoma |{{sortname|Dave|Lopez}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will provide public information}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://newsok.com/article/5554766|title=Oklahoma election board won't turn over Social Security numbers to federal voter fraud panel|date=June 30, 2017|work=NewsOK.com|access-date=July 4, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Oregon |{{sortname|Dennis|Richardson|Dennis Richardson (politician)}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will sell public information}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/Recordpdf/6933065|title=Dennis Richardson response to the PEIC letter|last=Richardson|first=Dennis|date=June 30, 2017|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> |$500 purchase |- ! scope="row" |Pennsylvania |{{sortname|Pedro|Cortés}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Yes}} |{{Maybe|Will not "actively" comply}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/GovernorTomWolf/status/880883866977918978|title=You can add PA to that list. We will not participate in this systematic effort to suppress the vote.|author=Wolf, Tom|date=June 30, 2017|website=Twitter|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> |Commission may make public purchase of $20<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.governor.pa.gov/governor-wolf-denies-trump-administration-request-for-voter-information/|title=Governor Wolf Denies Trump Admin Request for Voter Data|date=June 30, 2017|work=Governor Tom Wolf|access-date=July 6, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |Rhode Island |{{sortname|Nellie|Gorbea}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will provide public information}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/RISecState/status/880591051832123393|title=Statement by Secretary Gorbea on the U.S. Department of Justice and Kobach Commission Requests.|last=Gorbea|first=Nellie M.|date=June 29, 2017|website=Twitter|access-date=July 8, 2017}}</ref> |Called Kris Kobach oversight over the Commission "deeply troubling" |- ! scope="row" |South Carolina |{{sortname|Mark|Hammond|Mark Hammond (American politician)}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Maybe|No, but forwarded}} |{{Yes|Will provide public information}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.postandcourier.com/news/no-request-yet-from-trump-vote-fraud-task-force-for/article_00a3be12-5db3-11e7-9bef-df268b373bdf.html|author=Shain, Andy|title=No request yet from Trump vote fraud task force for South Carolina voter information|work=The Post and Courier|access-date=Jun 30, 2017|language=en}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |South Dakota |{{sortname|Shantel|Krebs}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/south-dakota/articles/2017-06-30/krebs-wont-share-south-dakota-voter-data-with-trump-panel|title=Krebs Won't Share South Dakota Voter Data With Trump Panel|date=June 30, 2017|agency=Associated Press|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Tennessee |{{sortname|Tre|Hargett}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/SecTreHargett/status/880830633894973440|title=My statement regarding the request for Tennessee voter information|last=Hargett|first=Tre|date=June 30, 2017|website=Twitter|access-date=July 5, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Texas |{{sortname|Rolando|Pablos}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will provide public information}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/Jmalewitz/status/880843100775755776|title=NEW: Statement from Texas SOS @rolandopablos on Kobach/Pence Election Integrity Commission request for info. #votingpic.twitter.com/OgtLx7XTFv|last=Malewitz|first=Jim|date=June 30, 2017|website=Twitter|access-date=July 5, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Utah |{{sortname|Spencer|Cox|Spencer Cox (politician)}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will provide public information}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://elections.utah.gov/Media/Default/2017%20Election/LGstatementonPACEI.pdf|title=Statement from Lt. Gov. Spencer J. Cox regarding the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity|last=Cox|first=Spencer|date=June 30, 2017|work=Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Utah|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref> | |- ! scope="row" |Vermont |{{sortname|Jim|Condos}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sec.state.vt.us/media/857582/secretary-condos-refuses-to-comply-with-election-commission-request.pdf|title=Secretary Condos Will Not Release Sensitive Voter Information and is Considering All Options in Refusing to Assist Federal Commission Overreach|last=Condos|first=James|date=July 3, 2017|work=www.sec.state.vt.us|access-date=July 5, 2017}}</ref> |Initially planned to comply with state allowed public information, but wants to be assured data will be secured<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sec.state.vt.us/media/857447/secretary-condos-response-to-kris-kobach-election-integrity-commission-letter.pdf|title=Secretary Condos Issues Response to Letter from President Trump's Election Integrity Commission Requesting Voter Information|last=Condos|first=James|date=June 30, 2017|work=Office of the Secretary of State}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |Virginia |{{sortname|Kelly|Thomasson}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/newsarticle?articleId=20595|title=Governor McAuliffe Statement on Request from Trump Elections Commission|author=McAuliffe, Terry|website=Office of the Governor of Virginia|language=en|access-date=July 5, 2017|date=June 29, 2017|author-link=McAuliffe, Terry|archive-date=November 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106072718/https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/newsarticle/?articleId=20595|url-status=dead}}</ref> |Governor Terry McAuliffe gave official answer. |- ! scope="row" |Washington |{{sortname|Kim|Wyman}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Maybe|Will not "actively" comply}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/secstatewa/status/881911569352761345|title=We won't actively provide the feds with voter data. They've been directed to the public portal where data is kept.|author=Wyman, Kim|date=July 3, 2017|website=Twitter|access-date=July 5, 2017|author-link=Wyman, Kim}}</ref> |Commission may access public portal |- ! scope="row" |West Virginia |{{sortname|Mac|Warner}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will sell public information}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-politics/20170712/warner-wv-to-send-white-house-some-not-all-requested-voter-data|title=Warner: WV to send White House some, not all, requested voter data|work=Charleston Gazette-Mail|access-date=July 13, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> |$1,000 |- ! scope="row" |Wisconsin |{{sortname|Doug|La Follette}} | {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic |{{Yes}} |{{Yes|Will sell public information}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://elections.wi.gov/node/5135|title=Statement on Federal Request for Wisconsin Voter Information {{!}} Wisconsin Elections Commission|website=elections.wi.gov|language=en|access-date=July 5, 2017|archive-date=July 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703103249/http://elections.wi.gov/node/5135|url-status=dead}}</ref> |$12,500 |- ! scope="row" |Wyoming |{{sortname|Ed|Murray|Ed Murray (Wyoming politician)}} | {{Party shading/Republican}} |Republican |{{Yes}} |{{No|Will not comply}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/wyoming-rejects-white-house-request-for-voter-data-citing-federal/article_b6da105d-856c-5ee4-ac1a-ebd215da3067.html|title=Wyoming rejects White House request for voter data, citing federal overreach|author=Rosenfeld, Arno|work=Casper Star-Tribune|date=July 3, 2017|language=en}}</ref> | |}
====Impact on voter registration==== In Colorado, the Secretary of State confirmed that 3,394 voters (0.09 percent of all registered voters in Colorado) cancelled their voter registration in response to the request for voter registration information sent out by Kris Kobach.<ref>{{cite news|title=More than 3,000 Colorado voters have canceled their registrations since Trump election integrity commission request|url=http://www.denverpost.com/2017/07/13/trump-election-integrity-commissions-colorado-voters-cancel-registration/|date=July 13, 2017|newspaper=The Denver Post|first=Brian|last=Eason}}</ref> After receiving a few requests for voter registration cancellations, election officials in Flagler County, Florida published an open letter to voters urging voters not to cancel their registration in response to the commission's request for voter information.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.palmcoastobserver.com/article/elections-supervisor-implores-public-to-%27stay-registered-and-vote%27|title=Elections Supervisor implores public to 'Stay registered and vote'|date=July 11, 2017|publisher=Palm Coast Observer}}</ref> In Arkansas, an alderwoman in Eureka Springs requested to cancel her voter registration, but then re-registered within 24 hours because the law requires her to be a registered voter in order to serve in an elected office.<ref>{{cite news|title=Schneider criticized for canceling voter registration|url=http://www.lovelycitizen.com/story/2427406.html|date=July 12, 2017|first=Samantha|last=Jones}}</ref>
===First official meeting, July 19, 2017=== The committee held its first official meeting on July 19, 2017, in Washington D.C. Breaking with tradition of open meetings for such commissions, the meeting was not open to the public, but it was live streamed in lieu. Trump addressed the commission at its inaugural meeting and criticized states that did not comply with the request for data issued by Kobach (saying "One has to wonder what they're worried about").<ref name="NYT first meeting">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/us/trump-election-commission-already-under-fire-holds-first-meeting.html|title=Trump Election Commission, Already Under Fire, Holds First Meeting|date=July 19, 2017|first=Michael|last=Wines|newspaper=New York Times|author-link=Michael Wines}}</ref> The committee members talked largely of voter fraud,<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.npr.org/2017/07/19/538152713/talk-of-voter-fraud-dominates-first-meeting-of-election-integrity-commission | title = Talk Of Voter Fraud Dominates First Meeting Of Election Integrity Commission | website = NPR | date = July 19, 2017 | access-date = August 3, 2017| last1 = Fessler | first1 = Pam | last2 = Neely | first2 = Brett }}</ref> and mentioned themes included 'One Citizen, One Vote', anecdotes about specific incidents of election misconduct, and additional funding for voting equipment.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://editions.lib.umn.edu/electionacademy/2017/07/20/what-i-heard-and-didnt-at-yesterdays-pacei-meeting/ | title = What I Heard – and Didn't – at Yesterday's PACEI Meeting | date = July 20, 2017 | access-date = August 3, 2017}}</ref>
===New Hampshire meeting, September 12, 2017=== On August 24, 2017, the White House announced that the commission would meet on September 12, 2017, at St. Anselm College near Manchester, New Hampshire. In February, Trump had told a meeting of senators that he lost New Hampshire because thousands of people had been brought in from Massachusetts on buses to vote, a claim disputed by the state's two senators, an FEC commissioner, and Bill Gardner, New Hampshire's secretary of state and later a member of the integrity commission.<ref>{{cite news|title=Trump makes groundless N.H. voter fraud claims|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2017/02/10/trump-makes-groundless-voter-fraud-claims/fcnMJfLgOx0UAVhJeTS8TP/story.html|last1=Linskey|first1=Annie|last2=Viser|first2=Matt|date=February 10, 2017|access-date=January 4, 2018|archive-date=December 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219022105/https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2017/02/10/trump-makes-groundless-voter-fraud-claims/fcnMJfLgOx0UAVhJeTS8TP/story.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> On September 7, Kobach alleged in his Breitbart News column that voter fraud had "likely" swung the election in the New Hampshire 2016 presidential race and 2016 Senate race. Kobach wrote that while "anecdotally" it was well known that out-of-state voters take advantage of New Hampshire's same-day registration law to come in on Election Day and vote, "Now there's proof": of the 6,540 voters who had registered to vote on Election Day using out-of-state driver's licenses as identification, only 1,014 of those voters had obtained a New Hampshire driver's license by August 30, 2017. The rest never obtained a New Hampshire license and only a few had registered vehicles in the state, leaving 5,513, "a big number - more than enough to swing two very important elections."<ref name=kobach>{{cite news|title=Did out-of-state voters decide N.H. race?|url=http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20170912/did-out-of-state-voters-decide-nh-race|author=Kobach, Kris|author-link=Kris Kobach|date=September 12, 2017|publisher=seacoastonline.com|access-date=January 4, 2018|archive-date=December 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221015730/https://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20170912/did-out-of-state-voters-decide-nh-race|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=weigel/> Kobach, calling all 5,513 of the votes "fraudulent votes", wrote that in the senate race, "if 59.2% or more of them went for Hassan, then the election was stolen by voter fraud" and "if 74.8% of the fraudulent votes were cast for Clinton, then the presidential election was tipped as well."<ref name=kobach/><ref name=weigel/> Another commission member, J. Christian Adams, published a similar op-ed at PJ Media on the same day, stating that "the overwhelming majority of them [the 5,513 voters] can no longer be found in New Hampshire."<ref name=weigel/> Kobach and Adams based the allegations on statistics reported by Shawn Jasper, Republican speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. The statistics were released to Jasper by Secretary of State Gardner and the commissioner of the state department of safety in response to his request.<ref>{{cite news|title=Updated: New voting statistics show 6,540 people registered to vote in NH last year using out-of-state driver's licenses as IDs|url=http://www.wmur.com/article/new-voting-statistics-show-6540-people-registered-to-vote-in-nh-last-year-using-out-of-state-drivers-licenses-as-ids/12196129|author=DiStaso, John|author-link=John DiStaso|date=September 8, 2017|publisher=wmur.com|access-date=January 4, 2018}}</ref> A spokesman for the speaker said that the statistics were raw data and that Jasper "did not know which states issued the 6,540 licenses and acknowledged that the numbers could include some college students."<ref>{{cite news|title=More than 5,000 out-of-state voters may have tipped New Hampshire against Trump|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/sep/7/voter-fraud-alert-over-5000-new-hampshire-presiden/|author=Scarborough, Rowan|author-link=Rowan Scarborough|date=September 7, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Times|access-date=January 4, 2018}}</ref> ''The Washington Post'', noting that Kobach apparently had not tried to contact voters with out-of-state ID for his Breitbart article, was able to quickly contact three voters who did not obtain New Hampshire driver's licenses. The three said that they were college students and had used the driver's licenses from their home states as their identification.<ref name=weigel>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/09/08/election-integrity-commission-members-accuse-new-hampshire-voters-of-fraud/|title= Election Integrity Commission members accuse New Hampshire voters of fraud|newspaper=Washington Post|first=David|last=Weigel|date=September 8, 2017|author-link=David Weigel}}</ref> The day after Kobach's op-ed was published, the New Hampshire congressional delegation unanimously urged Gardner to resign, so as to deny the commission the appearance of credibility. Gardner said it was his civic duty to remain.<ref name= Wines /><ref>{{cite news|title=As Delegation Calls For Him to Step Down, N.H. Sec. of State Says He'll Stay on Trump Election Panel|url=http://nhpr.org/post/delegation-calls-him-step-down-nh-sec-state-says-hell-stay-trump-election-panel|author=McDermott, Casey|date=September 8, 2017|publisher=nhpr.org|access-date=January 5, 2018}}</ref>
The meeting was hosted by Gardner and chaired by Vice Chair Kobach, since the chairman, Mike Pence, would not be in attendance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2017/08/24/new-hampshire-secretary-state-bill-gardner-host-next-meeting-bipartisan|work=whitehouse.gov|title=New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner to Host Next Meeting of Bipartisan Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity|via=National Archives|date=August 24, 2017}}</ref> At the meeting, both Gardner and fellow commissioner and Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap rejected the allegation that voter fraud affected the election in New Hampshire in 2016.<ref name="Sept 12 meeting PPT">{{cite news|first=Colin|last=Woodard|date=September 13, 2017|newspaper=Portland Press Herald|title=Dunlap blasts head of election integrity commission over N.H. voter fraud assertions|url=http://www.pressherald.com/2017/09/13/matt-dunlap-questions-kris-kobachs-voter-fraud-assertions-at-n-h-meeting/}}</ref> Dunlap called the charge "reckless" and pointed out that voters in New Hampshire need not be ''residents of the state'' to vote, as it is sufficient to be "''domiciled''" in the state.<ref name="Sept 12 meeting CM">{{cite news|date=September 12, 2017|title=Live updates from Trump's election integrity commission meeting in N.H. today| url= http://www.concordmonitor.com/Bill-Gardner-defends-role-on-voter-fraud-commission-12445692|newspaper=Concord Monitor}}</ref> Dunlap said, "I think it's really reckless to make an allegation like that based on how I know licenses are issued around the country and how elections are conducted. It's an amazing leap to make."<ref>{{cite news|title=Trump panel heads to New Hampshire in search for proof of voter fraud|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/12/politics/new-hampshire-trump-voting-election-commission/index.html|author=Bradner, Eric|date=September 12, 2017|publisher=CNN|access-date=January 4, 2018}}</ref>
The meeting continued for six hours, during which time Kobach answered questions for thirty minutes. He told reporters, "If you drive in and then drive out on the same day, that is fraudulent....My point is that among the 5,313, you can probably assume that at least one of those individuals" voted fraudulently. When reminded that he had written "Now there's proof", he said, "I think when you have 5,300 cases, it's virtual proof that at least one of those individuals probably didn't stay." He added, "Let's just get the numbers and see where the numbers take us, and I certainly don't have any preconceived notions about that issue or a whole host of issues."<ref>{{cite news|title=NH Primary Source: Kobach walks back NH voter fraud 'proof' claim|url=http://www.wmur.com/article/nh-primary-source-kobach-walks-back-nh-voter-fraud-proof-claim/12239428|author=John DiStaso|author-link=John DiStaso|date=September 14, 2017|publisher=wmur.com|access-date=January 4, 2018}}</ref>
John Lott, president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, made a presentation to the commission, proposing that the National Instant Criminal Background Check System be used for voter verification. Dunlap responded by saying the system "was never intended to be used as an elections tool" and using it as such would have "unintended consequences".<ref name="Sept 12 meeting CM"/>
==Response== Rick Hasen of the University of California, Irvine, an expert on election law, stated that the commission was "a pretext to pass legislation that will make it harder for people to register to vote" and that there could be no confidence in whatever the committee produced.<ref name="BermanWeigel"/> In a June 2017 editorial, Hasen ridiculed the commission as a "faux commission".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2017/06/donald_trump_s_voter_fraud_commission_is_itself_an_enormous_fraud.html|title=Trump's Voter Fraud Endgame|author-link=Richard L. Hasen|first=Rick|last=Hasen|date=June 30, 2017|magazine=Slate}}</ref>
===Lawsuits=== At least eight lawsuits were filed challenging the commission, alleging that its activities violated the law.<ref name=TrumpDisbands/> Five of the plaintiffs in the different lawsuits were non-profit organizations that included: the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU v. Trump and Pence and Joyner v. Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity), the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, NAACP (''NAACP v. Trump''), Public Citizen, and the Electronic Privacy Information Center. The lawsuits by the first two groups involved the lack of transparency of the commission's meetings, whereas the lawsuits by the last two groups involved the collection by the commission of personal private data.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 10, 2017|title=3 Lawsuits Filed Against White House Panel on Voter Fraud|last=Wines|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Wines|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/10/us/white-house-voter-fraud-lawsuits-kris-kobach.html}}</ref> In addition to the lawsuits, complaints have been filed with federal agencies against two of the commission's members.<ref name="NYT first meeting"/>
In response to the lawsuit filed by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the commission abandoned plans to accept responses through the Department of Defense safe access file exchange website and announced plans to use an existing White House system.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/trump-voting-panel-tells-states-to-hold-off-sending-data-while-court-weighs-privacy-impact/2017/07/10/c4c837fa-6597-11e7-a1d7-9a32c91c6f40_story.html|title=Trump voting panel tells states to hold off sending data while court weighs privacy impact|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=July 15, 2017}}</ref> The commission asked states to refrain from submitting data while the case was pending.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-vote-idUSKBN19V29W|title=Trump's election panel puts hold on voter data request|date=July 10, 2017|work=Reuters|access-date=July 15, 2017}}</ref> The commission also stated its intention of deleting voter information from Arkansas, the only state to officially submit voter data on the Department of Defense website.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3891866/7-10-17-US-Supplemental-Brief-EPIC.pdf|title=Case 1:17-cv-01320-CKK Document 24 Filed 07/10/17 (7-10-17-US-Supplemental-Brief-EPIC)|date=July 10, 2017|access-date=July 14, 2017}}</ref> On July 24, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly denied EPIC's request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the commission, ruling that the commission was not required to conduct a privacy review before gathering data.<ref>{{cite news|title=Judge denies demand for privacy assessment on Trump voter fraud data request|url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2017/07/24/trump-voter-fraud-data-request-privacy-assessment-240892|date=July 24, 2017|publisher=Politico|first=Josh|last=Gerstein}}</ref> On August 29, the government's attorney told the judge that confusion at the Department of Justice had resulted in the failure to disclose relevant documents to the plaintiffs, and Kollar-Kotelly ordered the government to provide a list of documents it wanted to withhold, and how it would comply with disclosure rules.<ref>[https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/almID/1202796899080/ After Disclosure Failure, DC Judge Wants List of Trump Voter Commission Docs], ''The National Law Journal'', Cogan Schneier, August 30, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2017.</ref>
In November 2017, Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, a Democratic member of the commission, said that Kobach was refusing to share working documents and scheduling information with him and the other Democrats on the commission.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-08-04|title=Member Of Disbanded Trump Voter Fraud Commission Speaks Out - NPR's Don Gonyea talks to Matthew Dunlap about the panel, which he says was set up to validate the president's claims.|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/08/04/635668304/member-of-disbanded-trump-voter-fraud-commission-speaks-out|access-date=2020-10-28|website=NPR.org|language=en}}</ref> He filed suit, and in December a federal judge ordered the commission to hand over the documents.<ref name=":54">{{Cite news|url=http://www.pressherald.com/2018/01/06/trump-administration-resists-turning-over-documents-to-dunlap/|title=Trump refuses to release documents to Maine secretary of state despite judge's order|date=January 6, 2018|work=Portland Press Herald|access-date=January 7, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> Two weeks later, in January 2018, Trump disbanded the commission, and his administration informed Dunlap that it would not obey the court order to provide the documents because the commission no longer existed.<ref name=TrumpDisbands/> On August 3, 2018, Dunlap wrote that the documents available to him did not support claims of widespread voter fraud. He described the investigation as the "most bizarre thing I've ever been a part of....After reading this, I see that it wasn't just a matter of investigating President Trump's claims that three to five million people voted illegally, but the goal of the commission seems to have been to validate those claims."<ref name="Rosenberg_8/4/2018">{{cite news | last=Rosenberg | first=Eli | title='The most bizarre thing I've ever been a part of': Trump panel found no voter fraud, ex-member says | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=August 4, 2018 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/08/03/the-most-bizarre-thing-ive-ever-been-a-part-of-trump-panel-found-no-voter-fraud-ex-member-says/ | access-date=August 4, 2018}}</ref>
In January 2018, in the Joyner case, the Department of Justice disclosed that the White House would not be turning over any state voter data to the Department of Homeland Security, despite the White House's and Kris Kobach's earlier statements to the contrary.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/homeland-security-voter-information_us_5a5048cfe4b089e14dbae420|title=Trump's Vote Fraud Panel Won't Give Voter Information To Homeland Security|last=Levine|first=Sam|date=January 6, 2018|work=HuffPost|access-date=February 3, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref>
===Calls for defunding and disbandment=== On June 22, 2017, Representative Marc Veasey of Texas's 33rd congressional district introduced ''H.R. 3029'' to deny funding for the commission.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/3029/text|title=H.R. 3029|first=Marc|last=Veasey|author-link=Marc Veasey|work=United States Congress|publisher=Government Printing Office|location=Washington, D.C.|date=June 22, 2017|access-date=July 23, 2017}}</ref> In August 2017, Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer wrote an editorial calling on Trump to disband the commission. He also threatened that if Trump did not disband the commission, he would try to deny the commission money in a funding bill.<ref>{{cite news|title=Schumer: Dems will try to disband Trump voter fraud panel in must-pass bill|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/347793-schumer-dems-will-try-to-disband-trump-voter-fraud-panel-in-must/|date=August 24, 2017|first=Jordain|last=Carney}}</ref>
==Disbanding== On January 3, 2018, two weeks after the court order instructing the commission to share its working documents with its Democratic members, the Trump administration disbanded the commission. The panel disbanded without making any findings of fraud.<ref name="Trump Panel Finds No Voter Fraud"/>
In announcing that he had dissolved the commission, Trump blamed states for not handing over requested voter information to the commission, and still maintained that there was "substantial evidence of voter fraud".<ref name=TrumpDisbands>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/03/us/politics/trump-voter-fraud-commission.html|title=Trump Disbands Commission on Voter Fraud|last=Haag|first=Matthew|date=2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 4, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://time.com/5087064/donald-trump-voter-fraud-commission-dissolved/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107075558/http://time.com/5087064/donald-trump-voter-fraud-commission-dissolved/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 7, 2018|title=President Trump Dissolves His Voter Fraud Commission|magazine=Time|access-date=January 4, 2018}}</ref> Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement that "rather than engage in endless legal battles at taxpayer expense," Trump abolished the panel and turned the matter over to the Department of Homeland Security.<ref name="TheHillFabianCarter">{{cite web |url= https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/367343-trump-dissolves-voter-fraud-commission/ |title= Trump dissolves voter fraud commission |author= Jordan Fabian and Brandon Carter |date= January 3, 2018 |work= The Hill |access-date= January 4, 2018 }}</ref> Election integrity experts argued that the commission was disbanded because of the lawsuits, which would have led to greater transparency and accountability in the commission and thus prevented the Republican members of the commission from producing a sham report to justify restrictions on voting rights,<ref name=":54" /> and that oversight by a cabinet-level agency such as DHS could preclude open meetings and requests for compliance with public records laws.<ref name=usnews/>
== Transfer to Department of Homeland Security == After Trump shut down the commission, Kobach pointed out in an interview that "DHS knows the identity of everyone who has green cards" and temporary visas, and that to compare those names to state voter rolls would be "immensely valuable."<ref name=usnews/> He stated, "This is a tactical shift by the president who remains very committed to finding the scope of voter fraud."<ref>{{cite news|title=Trump disbands Kobach-led voter fraud commission after resistance from states|url=http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article192854444.html|last1=Lowry|first1=Brian|last2=Woodall|first2=Hunter|date=January 4, 2018|newspaper=Kansas City Star|access-date=January 10, 2018}}</ref> He told several interviewers that he would "be working closely with the White House and DHS to ensure the investigations continue," but the acting DHS press secretary said that Kobach would not be advising or working with the department.<ref>{{cite news|title=Trump's voter fraud investigation is over. Or is it?|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-s-voter-fraud-investigation-over-or-it-n834801|author=Clark, Dartunorro|date=January 4, 2018|publisher=NBC News|access-date=January 10, 2018}}</ref> On January 9, the director of White House information technology stated, in a declaration appended to a motion in Commissioner Dunlap's suit against the commission, that the state voter data the commission had collected would not be sent to DHS or any other agency except the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), pursuant to federal law and pending the outcome of lawsuits, and that pursuant to federal law and upon consultation with NARA the White House intended to destroy all the state voter data held by the dissolved Commission.<ref>{{cite web|title=Second Declaration of Charles C. Herndon|url=https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000160-dde0-da3c-a371-ddfebfa60000|date=January 9, 2018|publisher=Politico|pages=21–24|access-date=January 10, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=White House intends to destroy data from voter fraud commission|url=http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/10/politics/voter-fraud-commission-data/index.html|author=Park, Madison|date=January 10, 2018|publisher=CNN|access-date=January 10, 2018}}</ref> The DHS already has access to the state voter data the commission requested from the states.<ref name=usnews/> Voting rights and civil rights advocates were alarmed at moves by the Trump administration to task the DHS with fighting "voter fraud" despite multiple studies showing that voter fraud is virtually nonexistent in the U.S., fearing that Trump's directive would give impetus to purges of eligible voters from the voter rolls.<ref name=usnews/>
==See also== * Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election * Voter registration in the United States * Voting rights in the United States * Voter suppression in the United States
== Notes == {{reflist|group="n"}}
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== * E.O. 13799 (Wikisource)
{{Authority control}}
Category:United States national commissions Category:United States presidential commissions Category:Mike Pence Category:Electoral fraud Category:Organizations associated with Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections Category:Government agencies established in 2017 Category:Government agencies disestablished in 2018 Category:Executive orders of Donald Trump Category:Voter suppression Category:Election commissions in the United States Category:First Trump administration controversies Category:2017 establishments in the United States Category:2018 disestablishments in the United States Category:United States election controversies