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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Idaho hands over public voter data to Trump panel

By Kimberlee Kruesi Associated Press

BOISE – The Idaho secretary of state’s office has turned over voters’ names, addresses and other public information to President Donald Trump’s commission investigating alleged voter fraud.

Deputy Secretary of State Tim Hurst said Wednesday the commission filled out the state’s official public records request form and paid the $20 fee required to obtain the data last week. Election officials then mailed Idaho’s voter rolls to the commission on Tuesday.

“They filled out the same request like everyone else,” Hurst said. “We didn’t have to deny anything because they just asked for public information.”

Earlier this year, the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity sent a request to each state asking for numerous pieces of voter information, if publicly available under state law, including voter names, addresses, party affiliation, voter histories, information regarding any felony convictions and the last four numbers of voters’ Social Security numbers. It also sought input on election laws and processes.

Trump created the commission to investigate his allegations – offered without evidence – that millions of people voted illegally in 2016.

As of August, an Associated Press tally shows election officials in 14 states and Washington, D.C., have denied the requests.

In Idaho, the state’s voter registration system is public, including voters’ names, addresses and voting history. However, information about driver’s license numbers, the last four digits of Social Security numbers and date of births are not releasable under the state’s public records law even though that data is collected on registration forms.

Secretary of State Lawerence Denney previously promised not to hand over information considered confidential under state law.

Idaho’s voter registration system doesn’t track information about felony convictions or whether voters are registered in other states.