Minn. Sec. Of State On Presidential Election Commission: 'It Seems Precooked'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A newly formed Presidential Commission on Election Integrity is asking Minnesota officials to provide extensive voter data so it can investigate possible election fraud.
The commission, which meets for the first time in July, was appointed by President Trump to promote "honest and fair elections" but critics say the Commission's motives are political, not policy related.
Now, the commission is asking Minnesota for millions of names, personal voter data and various election records dating back to 2000. Secretary of State Steve Simon, who oversees Minnesota's election system, says the motives are so questionable that he may not comply.
"This is serious stuff," said Simon, who oversees Minnesota's election system. "I am going to think good and hard about whether we can or whether we should produce this vast quantity of data about people's personal voting history and their personal information to a federal commission that has, in my mind, some real questionable motives."
The Commission is asking Minnesota to provide personal data on millions of voters, including:
- Names, addresses and birth dates
- Political party
- Voter history
- Felony convictions
- Registrations in other states
- Election-related crimes dating back 17 years
All of it would apparently be made public.
The president appointed the commission after claiming repeatedly, without evidence, that he -- and not Hillary Clinton -- "won the popular vote, if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally."
White House Spokesman Sean Spicer cited it as a reason for creating the commission.
"The president does believe that," Spicer said. "He has stated that before, he has concerns about voter fraud and people voting illegally during the campaign, and he continues to maintain that belief."
If the president's claims are true, Minnesota would have tens of thousands of illegal voters. Simon says there's no evidence to support that claim, and that it calls into question the commission itself.
"It doesn't give me much confidence in the outcome being fair," Simon said. "It seems predetermined, and precooked."
Minnesota had the highest voter turnout in the nation in 2016, and an election system with few voter irregularities
