Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has made it clear that the Keystone State will not be turning over sensitive voter data to Donald Trump’s voter fraud witch hunt to get lost. So far, 20 states have refused to turn over voter data to Trump’s voter fraud commission.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf tweeted:
You can add PA to that list. We will not participate in this systematic effort to suppress the vote. https://t.co/EHnY2NJI5R
— Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) June 30, 2017
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Ari Berman of The Nation has a list of 18 other states who told Trump to buzz off:
I'm now counting 18 states opposed to Kobach voter data request: CA, CT, IN, KY, MA, MN, NC, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, RI, TN, UT, VA, VT, WA
— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) June 30, 2017
The 19th state is Wisconsin who said no to the commission but did try to sell Mike Pence and Kris Kobach the same voter database that candidates, parties, and researchers can buy for $12,500.
If the vast majority of states refuse to turn over the data, it is going to be impossible for Trump to pull off whatever federalized voter suppression scheme that he had in mind. It is obvious that the goal of this “voter fraud commission” was never to investigate voter fraud, but to compile a national database of sensitive voter information in order suppress the vote.
Republicans freak out when anyone mentions universal background checks for all gun purchases, so how can any of them be fine with Trump’s effort to start a federal national voter database that would take sensitive information away from the states and federalize it for unknown purposes?
The states just need to keep saying no. The more states that reject the request, the sooner one of the biggest threats to voting rights can be defeated.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
