July 1, 2017
Dear Mr. President,
A few months ago when you signed the executive order to
launch the Election Integrity Commission I laughed at you because if the
commission has any integrity at all
it will report that you are mistaken, and 3-5 million illegal immigrants did
not "illegally vote for Hilary Clinton" (that's your claim for why
you lost the popular vote). I also said
it was a waste of taxpayer money.
You appointed Vice President Pence as the chairman of this
commission (it's really just an honorary title so no harm done, whatever) but
then you appointed Kris Kobach as vice chair.
And this guy is trouble…he is eight kinds of
crazy and a very dangerous man. He is
Steve Bannon-level crazy. He also has a
long track record of suppressing voter rights, especially for immigrants. So I wasn't totally shocked when he demanded
(on behalf of the commission) the names, birthdates and social security numbers
for EVERY voter in all 50 states for the last 10 years. But what I was surprised by was the states'
responses to his request. As of this
writing 12 states have refused to comply.
Here's a sampling of their responses.
Alison
Lundergran Grimes, Kentucky Secretary of State -
"Kentucky
will not aid a commission that is at best a waste of taxpayer money and at worst
an attempt to legitimize voter-suppression
efforts across the country."
Alex
Padilla, California Secretary of State -
"California's
participation would only serve to legitimize the false and already debunked
claims of massive voter fraud made by the
president, the vice president, and Mr. Kobach.
The president's
commission is a waste of taxpayer money and a distraction
from the real threats to
the integrity
of our elections today: aging voter systems and documented Russian interference
in our elections. The president's appointment of Mr. Kobach -
who has a long history of
sponsoring discriminating,
anti-immigrant policies including voter suppression and racial
profiling laws - sends a clear and ominous message. His
role as vice chair is proof that the
ultimate goal of the commission is to enact policies that will
result in the disenfranchisement
of American citizens."
I'll be totally honest with you Mr. Trump, I haven't felt
this proud of my country in quite a while.
Mr. Padilla's words especially almost brought tears to my eyes. Many state offices will be closed for the
Fourth of July holiday, but I predict that by mid-week next week we will see
many more states following suite and refusing to comply with such an obviously
unlawful and discriminatory request.
Voting in a democratic country is the most basic civil right afforded to
every citizen, regardless of race, color, creed, ethnicity, or country of origin. This isn't just what I
believe Mr.Trump, this is the law.
So, with July 4th only a few days away and your
bizarre, inappropriate tweets taking up all available media space, I'm really
glad that there are still people out there who are willing to uphold the laws and values
of our democracy. Once again, I can feel
proud to be an American.
Sincerely,
Amy Beaton
P.S. Indiana (Mike Pence's homestate) has also refused to comply with Kris Kobach's request for voter information. Go Hoosiers!!
P.S. Indiana (Mike Pence's homestate) has also refused to comply with Kris Kobach's request for voter information. Go Hoosiers!!
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