One Wisconsin Now Calls on Gov. Walker to Protect Wisconsin Voters’ Privacy From Trump

MADISON, Wis. — A commission established by Donald Trump is asking states to turn over sensitive personal information about registered voters, including portions of social security numbers, birth date, voting history and any information about individual’s partisan political preference. One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross today demanded Gov. Scott Walker protect our privacy and the integrity of our electoral system and refuse any request from the Trump administration for Wisconsin voter information not currently available to the public.

“There is no way Donald Trump and his cabal can be trusted with one single voter’s sensitive, personal information,” said Ross. “And Gov. Walker needs to flat out reject this request to protect the integrity of our elections and the privacy of Wisconsin voters.”

Trump established a commission by executive order after he made the proven-false claim that voting impropriety resulted in his three million-plus popular vote loss. In addition to the faulty premise underlying the commission, Trump appointed Kris Kobach, Kansas Secretary of State, as co-chair of the effort. In Kansas, Kobach worked to pass a law that was estimated to have prevented 20,000 state residents from being able to register to vote in 2014. The Kobach backed law has been challenged in court where judges have since enjoined enforcement of his anti-voter registration efforts.

The request, issued earlier this week to numerous states, asks election administrators for information about individual voters, including sensitive personal information like social security numbers, criminal record, partisan political preference and birth date and year.

There has been a significant backlash already to the Trump commission’s request with bipartisan and growing opposition among election officials in states across the country.

Ross noted that the FBI has an open investigation of possible collusion between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia, a hostile foreign power that demonstrably attempted to hack into state election systems in 2016.

“Donald Trump has brazenly lied about the election and his campaign is under federal investigation for possibly colluding with a hostile foreign nation that tried to hack into our election systems. This commission requesting our voters’ information is headed by a guy who implemented a scheme, struck down by federal courts, to try prevent thousands of people from being able to register to vote. There is no way in hell Gov. Walker should allow sensitive personal information about Wisconsin voters to be turned over to this gang,” concluded Ross.

One Wisconsin Now is a statewide communications network specializing in effective earned media and online organizing to advance progressive leadership and values.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.