Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap’s office said Thursday that a second request for state voting data from President Donald Trump’s voter fraud commission raises concerns about the panel’s work. The Presidential Commission on Election Integrity’s vice chairman, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, sent letters to Maine and other states on Wednesday seeking personal voter information. It’s similar to a June request to all states that was rejected by Dunlap’s office. However, Kobach’s second request says identifiable voter information won’t be made public — only summarized — and will be deleted by the federal government when the panel is done. His first request said identifiable information would be public.
Dunlap, a Democrat who is on the commission, rejected it because Maine law mandates confidentiality. The first request was at least partially rejected by 44 states, according to CNN.
In a statement, Dunlap’s office said the new request “raises concerns” about the process because it hasn’t been discussed by the panel. The statement said he’s reviewing the request with lawyers and plans to delay a decision until the commission’s next meeting — likely in September.
“If we’re going to act as a commission, we should really be considering the entire request for data as a body, and determining what it is we’re researching and how to look for it,” Dunlap said.
Full Article: Dunlap balks at Trump fraud panel’s new request for Maine voter data — Politics — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine.