By Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic
July 3, 2017
Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan said Monday she is rejecting the Trump administration's request for extensive voter information, saying it isn't in the state's best interest.
Her decision comes after nearly a thousand people had complained by email to her office about the possibility the state would hand over voter data to a commission looking into allegations of voter fraud.
It's also a reversal from her position last week.
On Friday, Reagan's office issued a statement that she would provide the White House with a less-detailed version of what it was seeking, based on media reports about what the federal commission would seek.
Reagan, a Republican, received the formal request from Washington on Monday.
“I share the concerns of many Arizonans that the Commission’s request could implicate serious privacy concerns,” she wrote in response to the request for voter information, according to a statement Monday. “Since there is nothing in Executive Order 13799 (nor federal law) that gives the Commission authority to unilaterally acquire and disseminate such sensitive information, the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office is not in a position to fulfill your request.”
In blocking the request, Arizona joins a growing number of states that have balked at aiding President Trump's commission, which is vice-chaired by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
That panel is tasked with looking into the prevalence of voter fraud, something that earlier studies have found is extremely rare but is a central concern often repeated by Trump, who lost the popular vote during the November 2016 election to Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
Overwhelmingly, voters who emailed Reagan's office since last week were dismayed. They asked Reagan to shut down consideration of sending any information to the committee, according to a sampling of emails shared by the office with The Arizona Republic. In those letters, voters asked Reagan to protect their “privacy,” called the committee a “sham,” and pushed back against the notion that there was “voter fraud,” as Trump has repeatedly asserted.
Matt Roberts, a spokesman for Reagan, said he had not come across correspondence supportive of releasing voter-related information.
What voters said
In sharing her opinion, Mesa voter Kathi Westerhaus wrote: “DO NOT release any of my personal information to the Voter Fraud Commission. There isn’t any voter fraud in this country AND I DO NOT want my personal information released in any way. This is an intrusion to my rights as a citizen of the US."
Tucson voter Michael Carson asked Reagan why she would give voter information “to that psychopath” in the White House?
“There is no basis to any of his claims (albeit, LIES) that there was voter fraud during last year's presidential election … But maybe then, you all don't care if the voter rolls are purged of people who don't vote your way.”
Jean Miyake, of Scottsdale, wrote any information could be used for political purposes.
“Just because the White House says to jump through a hoop doesn't mean that you must comply,” Miyake wrote. “The White House is a political unit. Therefore it will be used for political ends. It isn't as if Harvard University is heading up the study. Having 100 million plus voter info stored in one place (White House) will make us a sitting duck for Russian, Chinese, etc. hacking.”
And Victoria Boyne, of Phoenix, said she would be appalled if information is released to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.
“It is clear to any sensible person that this is an attempt to intimidate people from registering to vote,” she wrote. “As Arizona's Secretary of State, you should be concerned about protecting Arizona's citizens, not participating in voter suppression.”
Of the correspondence he had read, Roberts said a handful of voters suggested they would unregister as Arizona voters if Reagan handed over the information.
Legal questions
Even if Reagan wanted to participate, it's not clear whether the state would be able to provide the voter information requested. That's because the data is maintained separately by the state's 15 county recorders.
On Monday, Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes said he was still examining the request, but was not inclined to support it because the White House was seeking information barred by Arizona state law and because its stated purpose was to create a database that would also run afoul of state law.
Since news of the anticipated request from Kobach broke, the Secretary of State had received nearly about 950 emails from the public from Tucson to Chino Valley, Roberts said.
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It is great to hear those views from a red state, let the diamondbacks fight it out among themselves.
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