In a victory for voting rights advocates, today the White House dissolved the Voter Fraud Commission headed by Kris Kobach.
The fraudulent Commission was established with two objectives:
- to support Trump’s claim that 3-5 million fraudulent votes denied him the popular majority over Hillary Clinton in 2016.
- to allow states to pursue voter suppression, denying access to poor and minority populations.
The change today was presented as an attempt to “save taxpayers legal costs” as the Commission met legal challenges from states, academic experts and voting rights advocates such as the ACLU and the Brennan Center for Justice.
At least 12 states refused to hand over the voter data requested by the Commission, which included Social Security numbers and voting histories. Past studies, some initiated by the Bush administration, were re-issued, showing minimal voter fraud in the past. Democratic Senators demanded a GOA report on the activities of the Commission.
It would appear that checks and balances on many levels were effective. However, according to the White House, the work of the commission will continue under the direction of the Department of Homeland Security, a change that may reduce the requirements for transparency.
Our efforts to be heard do have an impact. Vigilance is still very necessary.
-Submitted by Robin Girardi for the Voting Rights Committee
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