Maryland Denies Commission's Request For Voter Data

By Staff Reporter
Posted on 07/03/17 | News Source: WBAL TV

Baltimore, MD - July 3, 2017 - Maryland has joined the long list of states rejecting the request of the Trump administration for information about voters.

The request came from the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.

The state had been under mounting pressure to reject the request from the Trump administration. Saying it needed to root out voter fraud, the commission sought extensive voter information, such as military history, criminal history, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers.

In a brief letter to the commission, state elections administrator Linda Lamone wrote: "Your request is prohibited under the Election Law article. Accordingly, I am denying your request."

Lamone's letter followed guidance from Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, a Democrat.

"It's way too broad. I think it violated the privacy of millions of Marylanders and hundreds of millions of U.S. citizens, and it's to no good end," Frosh said.

Critics from both parties accused the election commission of trying to discourage voting. Maryland asks for partial Social Security numbers on its registration form. It does not ask for criminal history or military history.

"What they are trying to do is intimidate voters and suppress the vote and I just find the whole thing repugnant," Frosh said.

Maryland's election board is independent, but the controversy over the Trump administration's request led one Democratic candidate for governor to criticize Republican Gov. Larry Hogan for staying silent.

"He has a responsibility on behalf of all voters to stand up and to let his feelings be known," Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous said. "The reality is that he created an environment in too many instances for Trump to have his way with our state."

Hogan's office released a statement Monday afternoon, saying, "As with any such request, the state Board of Elections should supply no more information than is required of them under the law."

Jealous ratcheted up the pressure on Maryland elections officials to say no to the request.

"If the secretary of state of Mississippi can tell this commission to go take a jump in the Gulf (of Mexico), then we should we should be telling them to take a flying leap off the Bay Bridge," Jealous said.

The state does permit the sale of voter registration lists, provided that certain restrictions are met. So the Trump election commission could revise its request and try again.