Office of Government-wide Policy (OGP),
General Services Administration (GSA).
ACTION:
Meeting notice.
SUMMARY:
The
Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity (Commission), a
Federal Advisory Committee established in accordance with the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. App., and
Executive
Order 13799, (
https://www.federalregister.gov/
documents/2017/05/16/2017-10003/
establishment-of-presidential-advisory-commission-on-election-integrity)
will
hold
its
first
meeting
on
Wednesday,
July
19,
2017.
This
meeting
will
consist
of
a
ceremonial
swearing
in of Commission members,
introductions and statements from members, a discussion of the
Commission's charge and objectives, possible comments or presentations
from invited experts, and a discussion of next steps and related
matters.
DATES:
Meeting Date:
The first Commission meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 19, 2017,
from 11:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) until no later than 5:00
p.m., EDT.
ADDRESSES:
The
meeting will be held at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Room
350, located at 1650 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20502. It
will be open to the public through livestreaming on
https://www.whitehouse.gov/
live.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
To
obtain information about the Commission or to submit written comments
for the Commission's consideration, contact the Commission's Designated
Federal Officer, Andrew Kossack, via email at
ElectionIntegrityStaff@ovp.eop.gov
or telephone at 202-456-3794. Please note the Commission may post
written comments publicly, including names and contact information, in
accordance with the provisions of FACA. There will not be oral comments
from the public at this initial meeting.
The
Commission will provide individuals interested in providing oral
comments the opportunity to do so at subsequent meetings. Requests to
accommodate disabilities with respect to livestreaming or otherwise
should also be sent to the email address listed above, preferably at
least 10 days prior to the meeting to allow time for processing.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Commission was established in accordance with
E.O. 13799
of March 11, 2017, the Commission's charter, and the provisions of
FACA. The Commission will, consistent with applicable law and
E.O.
13799,
study the registration and voting processes used in Federal elections.
The Commission shall be solely advisory and shall submit a report to
the President of the United States that identifies the following:
a.
Those laws, rules, policies, activities, strategies, and practices that
enhance the American people's confidence in the integrity of the voting
processes used in Federal elections;
b.
those laws, rules, policies, activities, strategies, and practices that
undermine the American people's confidence in the integrity of voting
processes used in Federal elections; and
c.
those vulnerabilities in 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.
[FR Doc.
2017-14210
Filed 7-3-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-61-P
Democratic
National
Committee
July 5, 2017
DNC Voting Rights Commission To Counter 1st Meeting of Trump Voter
Fraud Commission July 19
As Donald Trump and Kris Kobach take the unprecedented step of
demanding personal information of every voter in the country, the
Democratic National Committee’s Commission on Protecting American
Democracy from the Trump Administration will be holding this
administration accountable for wasting taxpayer money on their efforts
to restrict access to the ballot box instead of working to make it
easier to vote. With the announcement that the Trump administration’s
commission will hold its first hearing on July 19th, the DNC’s
commission will hold a news conference the same day to explain why the
hearing, and the commission as a whole, was set up from the start to
mislead the public and steps that states will take to fight back.
Forty states across the country have already rejected the Trump
administration’s intrusive requests, including Republican Louisiana
Secretary of State Tom Schedler who stated the commission "quickly
politicized its work." Republican Secretaries of State joined their
Democratic colleagues in panning the attempted data grab by the federal
government, with the vast majority of states saying they will not
comply or at least not fully comply. And a member of the President's
commission has already quit.
"The President's Commission was a fraud from the start, and after its
first action it's already being fiercely condemned by Republicans and
Democrats alike," said Jason Kander, chairman of the DNC commission.
"President Trump clearly formed this commission to find a way to fake
evidence to prove his lie about illegal voting in the 2016 election and
invent an excuse to make it harder for eligible voters to vote in
America in 2020. We're not going to let him get away with that and will
hold him and his sham commission accountable every step of the way."
More details about the DNC's Commission to Protect American Democracy
from the Trump Administration's July 19th press conference will be
announced that week.
The DNC launched the Commission to Protect American Democracy from the
Trump administration this May in order to combat the Trump
administration’s voter fraud misinformation campaign by debunking the
myth of widespread voter fraud, demonstrating the difficulty of voting
in areas affected by voter suppression, and highlighting and promoting
best practices that make voting easier.
The members of the DNC's commission are:
Jason Kander (chairman), President, Let America Vote
Rep. Terri Sewell (vice chair), Alabama-07
Sen. Cory Booker, New Jersey
Rep. Joaquin Castro, Texas-20
State Rep. Crisanta Duran, Colorado House Speaker
Adrian Fontes, Maricopa County Recorder
Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky Secretary of State
Maura Healey, Massachusetts Attorney General
Rep. Grace Meng, DNC Vice Chair, New York-06
Rep. Gwen Moore, Wisconsin-04
Alex Padilla, California Secretary of State
State Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, DNC Vice Chair, Louisiana
Karl Racine, District of Columbia Attorney General
American
Civil
Liberties
Union
July 10, 2017
ACLU FILES FEDERAL LAWSUIT OVER TRUMP ELECTION COMMISSION SECRECY
WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit
today over the lack of transparency by President Trump’s election
commission.
The lawsuit charges the commission with failing to comply with the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, which is designed to ensure public
accountability of all advisory committees.
“The commission held its first meeting without notice or making it open
to the public. This process is cloaked in secrecy, raising serious
concerns about its credibility and intent. What are they trying to
hide?” said Theresa Lee, a staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights
Project.
Federal law requires that commission meetings be open to the public,
with timely notice provided, allowing for in-person attendance, and
that written records be made available to the public. The commission
must also adopt measures to ensure that its work is not inappropriately
influenced by special interests or the president himself.
President Trump lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by nearly 3
million votes, yet he promotes the lie that voter fraud is to blame.
Trump in turn created the commission via executive order. It is led by
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, whom the ACLU has successfully
sued numerous times over his voter suppression policies. Kobach has
been roundly criticized for attempting to solicit detailed information
on every registered voter in the United States. He has not divulged how
the commission would use — or protect — that sensitive information,
which includes names, addresses, birth dates, political affiliation,
and voting history.
The commission will hold a July 19 meeting — only available
via
internet livestream — and has, by its own admission, held a previous
telephonic meeting without notifying the public, as required by law.
“Our election process must be secure, fair, and transparent,” said
Sophia Lin Lakin, a staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights
Project. “Yet the commission is conducting its work deep in the
shadows, making it alarmingly suspect. The commission is legally
required to conduct the people’s business in the light of day.”
The case,
American Civil
Liberties Union v. Donald Trump, was brought
by ACLU National and the ACLU of the District of Columbia. It was filed
in federal district court in Washington, D.C.
The complaint is at:
https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/american-civil-liberties-union-v-donald-trump-complaint
More information is at:
https://www.aclu.org/cases/american-civil-liberties-union-v-donald-trump
JUNE 28 LETTER AND EXAMPLES OF STATE REACTIONS
California Secretary of State Alex
Padilla
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 29, 2017
Secretary of State Alex Padilla
Responds to Presidential Election Commission Request for Personal Data
of California Voters
SACRAMENTO – California Secretary of State Alex
Padilla today released the statement below in response to a letter from
Kris Kobach, Vice Chair of the Presidential Advisory Commission on
Election Integrity. The Commission was established through executive
order by President Donald Trump after he lost the popular vote to
Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential Election. Because he lost the
popular vote, Trump has falsely alleged that three to five million
votes were cast illegally in the 2016 election. This, despite the fact
that his claims of voter fraud are unsubstantiated and that academics
and bipartisan leaders have confirmed that there is no evidence of
large scale, let alone massive voter fraud.
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla issued the following
statement in response to Mr. Kobach's request for voter data:
“The President's commission has requested the personal data and the
voting history of every American voter–including Californians. As
Secretary of State, it is my duty to ensure the integrity of our
elections and to protect the voting rights and privacy of our state's
voters. I will not provide sensitive voter information to a commission
that has already inaccurately passed judgment that millions of
Californians voted illegally. California's participation would only
serve to legitimize the false and already debunked claims of massive
voter fraud made by the President, the Vice President, and Mr. Kobach.
The President's Commission is a waste of taxpayer money and a
distraction from the real threats to the integrity of our elections
today: aging voting systems and documented Russian interference
in our
elections."
"The President's appointment of Kobach–who has a long history of
sponsoring discriminatory, anti-immigrant policies including voter
suppression and racial profiling laws–sends a clear and ominous
message. His role as vice chair is proof that the ultimate goal of the
commission is to enact policies that will result in the
disenfranchisement of American citizens."
"I will continue to defend the right of all eligible voters to cast
their ballots free from discrimination, intimidation or unnecessary
roadblocks.”
###
Kentucky
Secretary
of
State
Alison
Lundergan
Grimes
Secretary Grimes Statement on Presidential
Election Commission's Request for Voters' Personal Information
Bradford Queenbradford.queen@ky.gov
Secretary
of State Alison Lundergan Grimes released the following statement in
response to a request from the Presidential Advisory Commission on
Election Integrity for the personal information of Kentucky
voters:
"Today, my office and Secretaries of State nationwide received
from the President's election commission a request for the personal
information – including the name, address, social security number,
birthdate, political affiliation, and voting history – of every
American voter, including the 3.2 million registered Kentucky voters.
As the Commonwealth's Secretary of State and chief election official, I
do not intend to release Kentuckians' sensitive personal data to the
federal government.
"The president created his election commission based on the
false notion that "voter fraud" is a widespread issue – it is not.
Indeed, despite bipartisan objections and a lack of authority, the
President has repeatedly spread the lie that three to five million
illegal votes were cast in the last election. Kentucky will not aid a
commission that is at best a waste of taxpayer money and at worst an
attempt to legitimize voter suppression efforts across the country."
Minnesota
Secretary
of
State
Steve
Simon
June 30, 2017
Secretary Simon Statement on Request from Presidential Advisory
Commission on Election Integrity
“Yesterday,
my office received from the President’s commission a request that I
voluntarily produce significant amounts of information on nearly four
million Minnesotans who are registered to vote. The commission openly
disclosed that all of this requested personal data, including social
security numbers and voting history, would be made available to the
public.
I will not hand over Minnesota voters’ sensitive personal
information to the commission.
As I’ve said before, I have serious doubts about the commission’s
credibility and trustworthiness. Its two co-chairs have publicly backed
President Trump’s false and irresponsible claim that millions of
ineligible votes were cast in the last election. They, along with other
recent appointees, appear to have a strong interest in steering the
commission toward their pre-determined conclusions and outcomes. I fear
that the commission risks becoming a partisan tool to shut out millions
of eligible American voters.
The commission seems to be
distracting attention from the most serious challenge to the integrity
of our election system: The threat of cyber-attacks by outside forces,
including foreign governments, who seek to disrupt and undermine our
elections. Cyber-security is where we need to concentrate our attention
and energy.
Fortunately, Minnesota has rigorous safety measures in place
before, on, and after Election Day to ensure our elections are fair and
secure. We know that Minnesotans have confidence in the integrity of
our system because our voters just returned us to number one in voter
turnout in America.”
Missouri
Secretary
of
State
Jay
Ashcroft
For immediate release:
June
30,
2017
Ashcroft’s
Statement on Election Integrity Commission
Jefferson City, Mo. — Secretary
of
State Jay Ashcroft issued the following statement regarding a letter
received on June 28 from the Presidential Advisory Commission on
Election Integrity:
“For 40 years under Missouri law (Ch.
115.157, RSMo)
certain data is publicly available. The commission’s letter asks for
‘publicly-available’ information, which we would share with any person
or organization making an open records request. We will protect
Missourians’ private information. The laws of each state are different,
and in Missouri, some of the data requested by the commission is open
to the public. We plan to comply by providing publicly-available
information per state law.
“The commission’s questions are fair and we will be glad to assist
in offering our thoughts on these important matters. I look forward to
working with Secretary Kris Kobach and the commission on its findings
and offer our support in the collective effort to enhance the American
people’s confidence in the integrity of the elections process.”
—30—
Visit www.sos.mo.gov
to learn more about the Office of the Missouri Secretary of State.
Nevada
Secretary
of
State
Barbara
K.
Cegavske
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2017
Secretary Cegavske
Issues Statement Regarding
the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity’s Request
for Voter Registration Information
(Carson City, NV; June 30, 2017) – In response to questions from the
public and media regarding the recent letter from the Presidential
Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, Nevada Secretary of State
Barbara Cegavske issues the following statement:
The Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity has
requested to inspect publicly available records related to voter
registration in Nevada. While this request has understandably
raised
concerns with privacy advocates, voter registration information in
Nevada is generally available for public inspection under state law,
including name, address, date of birth, and whether the voter
participated in a prior election.
Election officials in Nevada do, however, collect certain
information that is not considered a public record under state law and
is therefore not available for public inspection. This
information
includes:
In addition to the above mentioned information being kept
confidential, registered voters in Nevada can request that their
address and telephone number be withheld from publicly available voter
lists. Registered voters who wish to make such a request may
contact
their local election official. It is also worth noting that
victims of
domestic violence or sexual assault who have been given a fictitious
address under the state’s Confidential Address Program never have their
name or address included on public voter rolls. Additionally, how
a
person voted is always private.
Many people have asked whether or not the Secretary of State’s
office plans to comply with the request from the Presidential Advisory
Commission on Election Integrity for voter registration information in
Nevada. Other than the previously identified confidential
information,
state law (NRS 293.558) prohibits election officials from withholding
voter registration information from the public. In addition, the
state’s Public Records Act requires government entities to allow for
inspection of public records. As a result, the Secretary of
State’s
office will provide the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election
Integrity with only the publicly available voter registration
information under Nevada law.
###
South
Carolina
State
Election
Commission
July 6, 2017
Statement Regarding PACEI Request for SC Voter Data
COLUMBIA,
SC (July 6, 2017) - The S.C. State Election Commission (SEC), in
considering the request for voter data made by the Presidential
Advisory Commission on Election Integrity (PACEI), has carefully
reviewed applicable state law and has consulted with the S.C. Attorney
General’s office. The SEC has determined that release of voter
data to
anyone who is not a registered South Carolina voter is not permitted by
state law. The agency may only provide voter data to registered
South
Carolina voters. This rule is not specific to the PACEI request
and
applies to any request for voter data from any individual or
organization from outside the state.
Some data requested by the PACEI is not collected by the SEC, and
other data is never released:
- At no time does the SEC release Social Security Numbers, in whole
or in part, to anyone, whether a voter or not.
- The SEC has no data on a voter’s party affiliation, as South
Carolina does not have registration by party.
- At
no time does the SEC have any information about how people vote, only
information about which elections a voter has participated in.
South
Carolina
Democratic
Party
For Immediate Release
July 6, 2017
Contact:
Matthew Ellison
__________________
South Carolina
Democratic Party
SCDP CHAIR THANKS ELECTION COMMISSION FOR FOLLOWING STATE LAW,
CONDEMNS SCGOP CHAIR FOR ENABLING FEDERAL OVERREACH
Columbia, SC – South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Trav Robertson
released the following statement thanking the South Carolina Election
Commission for refusing to provide the personal voter data requested by
the Pence-Kobach Commission and condemning South Carolina Republican
Party Chair Drew McKissick for announcing that he will personally
provide much of the requested information:
"I thank the members of the State Election Commission for refusing to
provide South Carolinians' personal information to the Trump
Administration's sham voter suppression commission, despite the fact
that Republicans like Henry McMaster wanted the Election Commission to
violate state law for partisan ends. This decision reaffirms the
Election Commission's nonpartisan role in administering our elections
fairly, nonpartially, and with integrity. Hopefully the
nationwide bipartisan resistance to the Trump Administration's voter
suppression efforts will make them abandon this shameful project.
"However, I am dismayed by the announcement by my Republican
counterpart, Drew McKissick, that he plans to provide our personal
voter data to the Kobach commission to assist them in finding a pretext
for disenfranchisement. The possession of such sensitive
information by this disgraceful group endangers our civil liberties,
threatens our voting rights, and undermines confidence in our
elections. South Carolina Democrats, independents, and
Republicans who put country over party will continue to fight so that
all eligible South Carolinians can exercise their right to vote, which
previous generations sacrificed so much to secure."
###
Wyoming
Secretary of State Ed Murray
July 3, 2017
Statement from Secretary of State Ed
Murray Regarding Request of Voter Information for
Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity
CHEYENNE, WY – After carefully considering
the request for voter information from the Presidential Advisory
Commission on Election Integrity, Secretary of State Ed Murray has
decided to decline providing any Wyoming
voter information.
Secretary of State Ed Murray stated: “I am
going to safeguard the privacy of Wyoming’s voters because of my
strong belief in a citizen’s right of privacy. Furthermore, I believe
elections are the responsibility of the states
under the United States Constitution and I do believe this request
could lead to a federal overreach. Finally, in
reviewing the Commission’s request, I am not at all convinced that it
has clearly stated its purpose is connected
to the information requested.
Secretary Murray further stated:
“Wyoming’s elections are secure, fair, transparent and well-run. I
assure every
Wyoming citizen that I will safeguard the privacy of Wyoming’s voters
while continuing to uphold and protect
the integrity of Wyoming’s elections.”
###
[ed. a second lawsuit]
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and Protect Democracy
August 21, 2017
Brennan Center and Protect Democracy File Suit to Make “Voter
Fraud” Commission Records Public
New York, NY – The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and
Protect Democracy
filed
a
lawsuit
today in federal court in New York to compel the Department of Justice,
the Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of Management and
Budget to disclose information to which the public is entitled
pertaining to the president’s “Election Integrity” Commission. The
organizations filed suit after their
requests
to the agencies for information under the Freedom of Information Act
went unanswered.
The Commission has had its motives and work questioned since it was
launched in May, after the president made unfounded claims that voter
fraud and noncitizen voting were rampant in the 2016 election. It is
co-chaired by Vice President Mike Pence and Kansas Secretary of State
Kris Kobach, who has a long history of supporting — and implementing —
anti-voter policies.
Plaintiffs argue in today’s filing that the public is legally entitled
to information about the Commission, which has released very few
details about its operations, methods, or intentions. Even
commissioners themselves are being left in the dark. Maine Secretary of
State Matthew Dunlap, a member of the panel,
said
commissioners had not discussed the second request for voter data
before it was sent to all 50 states.
Voters deserve to know how the Commission was put together, what its
goals are, whether it has been complying with legal requirements, and
how it will use the detailed personal information it has requested from
local election officials. In their freedom of information requests,
plaintiffs had requested all communications and documents relating to
the commission and its members, or any similar effort to establish a
body to study voter fraud. Plaintiffs now ask the court to order the
government to search for and produce the records to which they are
entitled by specified date.
“This administration has a troubling pattern of keeping public
information from the public — a pattern that is continuing with this
commission,” said Wendy Weiser, director of the Brennan Center’s
Democracy Program.
“The government’s obligation to share this information is especially
important when there are so many reasons to be skeptical of this
commission. When the public is not able to oversee the work of a
presidential panel like this, there is a risk of abuse, which could
negatively impact voting rights across the country.”
“President Trump’s election commission was founded on a false premise
about our country’s election systems,” said Larry Schwartztol, an
attorney with Protect Democracy.
“If the commission is being run in order to advance a misleading
narrative about voter fraud, it threatens to undermine fair access to
our democracy. When the stakes are that high, ensuring transparency is
a critical safeguard.”
Without an open process the public cannot provide informed comments to
the Commission or trust the integrity of its work, which will include
making recommendations to the president pertaining to federal elections
and the most fundamental right in American democracy — the right to
vote.
For
more information on the Commission, the information requests, or to
schedule an interview with Brennan Center experts, please contact
Rebecca Autrey ...
###
