How Michigan, neighboring states responded to request
State-by-state responses to a request for detailed voter data from President Donald Trump’s Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, which is investigating whether there was voter fraud in last year’s election.
MICHIGAN
Undecided
A spokesman for Republican Secretary of State Ruth Johnson said the department had not yet received the request and would review it if it does. Fred Woodhams said voter lists are public record under state law, and the department has no authority to deny voter data. “The department will provide voter information consistent with state law but will not provide info protected by state law.”
WISCONSIN
Partial
Administrator Mike Haas issued a statement Friday saying most of the information in the state’s voter registration system is public, including voters’ names, addresses and voting history. The state does not collect any data about a voter’s political preference or gender, he said.
He said the state routinely sells the information to political parties, candidates and researchers. It would charge the presidential commission $12,500 for the data, the maximum amount allowed under agency rules, Haas said. State law doesn’t contain any provisions for waiving the fee, he said.
Wisconsin law allows the commission to share voter birth dates, driver’s license numbers and Social Security numbers only with police and other state agencies, and the presidential commission doesn’t appear to qualify, Haas said.
MINNESOTA
Deny
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat, announced Friday he would not share the data with Trump’s commission.
OHIO
Partial
Secretary of State Jon Husted, a Republican, issued a statement saying voter registration information is already public and available to the commission but he will not provide the last four digits of voters’ Social Security numbers or their driver’s license numbers.
ILLINOIS
Undecided
Illinois State Board of Elections spokesman Ken Menzel said the office has not yet received the letter. Once it’s received, they will review the request and decide how to proceed. However, Menzel noted that Illinois’ election code has provisions that limit which entities may receive voter information and what type of information can be released.
INDIANA
Partial
“Indiana law doesn’t permit the Secretary of State to provide the personal information requested by Secretary Kobach. Under Indiana public records laws, certain voter info is available to the public, the media and any other person who requested the information for non-commercial purposes. The information publicly available is name, address and congressional district assignment,” Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson said in a statement.