Trump commission to get voter info from Washington state

This week, Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman will meet with her colleagues from around the country at a summer conference.

One topic of discussion is bound to surface: the request for information made last week by a White House commission investigating voter fraud.

The Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity has asked for information on every registered voter in the nation.

The commission was created by President Donald Trump in May. Trump has alleged that millions of people voted illegally in the 2016 election and that may have cost him the popular vote. He has not offered proof to substantiate his claim.

The commission’s request for data includes full names, addresses, dates of birth, last four digits of social security numbers, voting history and felony convictions of voters.

Multiple states have already refused to comply with the request. Wyman has said she'll turn over information that's publicly available.

“You try to take the politics out of things like this and so, first and foremost, we looked at the request from what requirements we have legally in our state. And in terms of voter registration information, there are parts of voter registration that are public record,” Wyman said.

Wyman said information including names, dates of birth and gender will be turned over.

"But we are not going to be turning over any of the private records that are in our database such as a voter's social security number — even the last four digits of the social security number — how or where they registered, you know, those types of pieces of data are not public and we are not going to release those to the commission."

The commission has requested information “publicly available under the laws of your state.” What's publicly available varies state to state.

In addition, the commission has asked states to weigh in on federal election laws, asking questions like, “What changes, if any, to federal election laws would you recommend to enhance the integrity of federal elections?”

Wyman said that's the piece she's most reticent to answer. Before she makes a decision about whether to respond to that portion of the request, Wyman wants to talk to her colleagues from around the country at the summer conference.

"Just have some good, spirited dialog there, because I'm not sure how much I really want to participate in those questions, and I want to think it through a little bit more," Wyman said.

Wyman said she's unsure what the commission is trying to accomplish with their research.

The letter sent by the vice chair of the commission, Kris Kobach, states:

“The commission is charged with studying the registration and voting processes used in federal elections and submitting a report to the president of the United States that identifies laws, rules, policies, activities, strategies, and practices that enhance or undermine the American people’s confidence in the integrity of federal elections processes.”

The commission has asked states to reply to their request for information by July 14.