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June 30, 2017

Trump Election Commission Requests Voter Roll Data, Prompting Alarm
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An election commission established by President Trump has asked all 50
states to hand over detailed personal information about U.S. voters, in
a move that civil rights advocates say is aimed at suppressing voter
turnout. The request was made by Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of
state and vice chair of Trump's Presidential Advisory Commission on
Election Integrity. Kobach has pushed for the strictest voter
identification laws in the country and advocated for a
"proof-of-citizenship" requirement at the state and federal levels. At
least three states-California, Connecticut and Virginia-said they would
refuse to comply with the request. In a statement, the Lawyers'
Committee for Civil Rights Under Law said, "This meritless inquisition
opens the door for a misguided and ill-advised Commission to take steps
to target and harass voters and could lead to purging of the voter
rolls."