Voting-rights advocates are backing Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted’s decision to not give private voter information to President Trump’s Election Integrity Commission. The White House panel requested voter data from states as it investigates the president’s claims about fraud in the 2016 election. Husted responded by offering an online link to public-record voter information and stating that private information, such as voters’ Ohio drivers license numbers, will not be provided. Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio, said it was the right move. “The commission seems bent on looking for something that doesn’t actually exist,”she said, “and asking for voter information and all sorts of information that is just truly not necessary and that they don’t have the right to have.”
Husted also informed the commission about efforts to address voter fraud in the state.
“We believe the accountability system in Ohio elections can be a model for other states to follow in pursuing the goal of making it easy to vote and hard to cheat,” he said.
The Election Integrity Commission itself has been the subject of controversy over concerns about privacy and states’ rights. Turcer said there also are worries that it could affect voter participation.
Full Article: Ohio Groups Back Decision to Keep Voter Data Private / Public News Service.