SC Repubs Put Voter Privacy At Risk, Hand Over Data To Kobach’s Fishing Expedition (TWEETS)

By
Darrell Lucus
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Last week, Donald Trump’s Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity made a sweeping request of the nation’s election officials. The commission, helmed by former Kansas Secretary of State and voter suppression specialist Kris Kobach, wants every bit of information that the states have on the people on the voter rolls–Social Security numbers, party affiliations, military statuses, criminal histories, voting records, the lot. It’s part of Trump’s windmill-tilting expedition to prove that he lost the popular vote only because millions of people voted illegally.


A number of state election officials saw this demand for what it was–frivolous at best, and a gross privacy invasion at worst. As of the close of business on Thursday, 19 states and the District of Columbia have stated they will not comply at all. An additional 26 states will only release what information is deemed public record–which, with few exceptions, will fall short of Kobach’s demand.

One of the states that initially said no to Trump and Kobach was South Carolina, which Trump carried 55-41 in 2016. But Kobach will get election data from the Palmetto State anyway–thanks to the state Republican Party.

South Carolina Election Commission spokesman Chris Whitmire told WIS in Columbia that state law does not allow election data to be released directly to the federal government. However, the commission is allowed to sell that data to any registered voter in South Carolina. State Republican Party chairman Drew McKissick stormed through that loophole on Thursday afternoon, announcing on Twitter that he was buying that data and giving it to Kobach.

In a statement, McKissick claimed that he was merely making a common-sense move to protect one of the most sacred trusts in our democracy.

According to The (Columbia) State, the data McKissick will buy includes a voter’s name, address, birthdate, race, gender, voting precinct, and all districts in which a voter resides. It is well short of what Kobach wanted. Indeed, Whitmire said that even if state law allowed the Election Commission to hand over data on party registration and how someone votes, the Commission doesn’t keep those records on hand.


However, the fact that McKissick was willing to turn over what data could be released has South Carolinians up in arms. Not surprisingly, the state Democratic Party rushed out with a burning statement from party chairman Trav Robertson condemning McKissick’s move.

It came as even less surprise when state GOP executive director Hope Walker dismissed Democratic objections as much ado about nothing.

Adding to this line, McKissick claimed that he was merely sending the data to the federal government, and it was no different from officials in Columbia having this information.

Perhaps McKissick and Walker would be singing a different tune if they knew how ordinary South Carolinians felt about Kobach’s request. State election officials fielded hundreds of calls from voters who expressed concern about their information being released to Trump and Kobach’s commission. Several of them were even willing to cancel their registration rather than let Kobach get his hands on their information.

While state Democratic officials tried to accuse McMaster of complicity in this ham-handed and overbroad move by Kobach, in truth he actively urged the Election Commission to only release what data was publicly available. From the looks of it, he was taking a line similar to officials in the other crimson-red states that aren’t willing to fully comply or have refused to comply at all.

Moreover, there is hard proof that if there is any voter fraud in South Carolina, its effect on elections in the state–like in the nation as a whole–is vanishingly small. Back in 2013, the State Law Enforcement Division investigated voter fraud in the middle of heated debate over a proposed voter ID law. Republican elected officials from then-governor Nikki Haley on down pushed for the law amid reports of rampant tombstone voting. However, SLED’s investigation turned up no evidence of wrongdoing.


The people of South Carolina know this as well. They also know that the real reason Trump wants this data is to peddle the alternative fact that he really won the popular vote. That explains why voters in this state that has been an automatic deposit for the GOP in all but one election since 1964 were appalled at this demand. And they should be appalled that the state party chairman is doing an end run around the state officials who tried to do their jobs and protect their data.

With apologies to Keith Olbermann, let there be no doubt–Drew McKissick is the Worst Person in the World.

(featured image courtesy McKissick’s Twitter)

Darrell Lucus
Darrell is a 30-something graduate of the University of North Carolina who considers himself a journalist of the old school. An attempt to turn him into a member of the religious right in college only succeeded in turning him into the religious right's worst nightmare--a charismatic Christian who is an unapologetic liberal. His desire to stand up for those who have been scared into silence only increased when he survived an abusive three-year marriage. You may know him on Daily Kos as Christian Dem in NC. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook. Click here to buy Darrell a Mello Yello.

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