{"slug":"trump-voter-fraud-commission-kobach-disbanded","title":"DOGE-Style Attack on Voting: Trump Voter ID Orders, Voter Fraud Commission, State Intimidation","date":"2017-05-11","lastUpdated":"2018-01-03","description":"Trump created the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity in May 2017, chaired by Vice President Pence and led by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach. The commission requested detailed voter data from all 50 states including Social Security numbers, party affiliation, and voting history. Over 40 states refused to fully comply. The commission was quietly disbanded in January 2018 without issuing a report or finding any significant evidence of voter fraud. Its dissolution came after internal discord, a Democratic member's lawsuit, and court orders preventing data collection.","summary":"Trump established the election integrity commission in response to his false claim that 3-5 million illegal votes had been cast in the 2016 election — a claim he made to explain why he had lost the popular vote. The commission's first action was a sweeping data request to all 50 states seeking voter rolls with personal data. States across the partisan spectrum refused. The commission operated for seven months, producing no findings. A member filed a lawsuit against the commission for operating without proper transparency. The commission was disbanded January 3, 2018; Trump attributed its dissolution to Democratic obstructionism.","category":"civil-rights","severity":"major","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/03/us/politics/trump-election-fraud-commission.html","title":"Trump Disbands Commission on Voter Fraud","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-election-commission-requests-sweeping-voter-data-from-all-50-states/2017/06/28/92d1bf8a-5bc0-11e7-9fc6-c7ef4bc58d13_story.html","title":"Election commission requests voter data from all 50 states","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/trump-election-fraud-commission-failure","title":"The Trump Election Fraud Commission: A Failure on Its Own Terms","publisher":"Brennan Center for Justice"},{"url":"https://apnews.com/article/trump-voter-fraud-commission-disbanded-kobach","title":"Trump disbands voter fraud commission without findings","publisher":"The Associated Press"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["voting-rights","voter-fraud","Kobach","first-term","civil-rights","democracy"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"2017-01-23","title":"Trump claims 3-5 million illegal votes","summary":"In a meeting with congressional leaders, Trump claims that 3-5 million illegal votes were cast in the 2016 election, explaining why he lost the popular vote. No evidence supports the claim. It becomes the stated rationale for the election integrity commission."},{"date":"2017-05-11","title":"Commission on Election Integrity established","summary":"Trump signs an executive order establishing the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, chaired by Vice President Pence with Kris Kobach as vice chair."},{"date":"2017-06-28","title":"Commission requests voter data from all 50 states","summary":"The commission sends a letter to all 50 states requesting comprehensive voter roll data including Social Security numbers, party affiliation, and voting history. States across the partisan spectrum refuse or express significant reservations."},{"date":"2017-07-19","title":"First commission meeting — protests and lawsuits","summary":"The commission holds its first meeting. Multiple civil rights and voting rights organizations file lawsuits challenging the commission's process and data collection plans. Many states announce they will not comply."},{"date":"2018-01-03","title":"Commission disbanded without findings","summary":"The White House announces the commission is disbanded, citing legal battles. The commission produced no final report and found no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Trump tweets that the commission found 'substantial evidence of voter fraud' — a claim not supported by any commission output."}],"location":{"name":"Washington, D.C.","lat":38.9072,"lng":-77.0369},"custom":{"era":"first-term","posture":"reported","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"Voters subjected to data collection threats; voting rights organizations; democratic integrity of electoral process","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"President; created commission based on false voter fraud claims; disbanded it after it failed to find evidence","institution":"White House"},{"name":"Kris Kobach","role":"Vice Chairman; directed the sweeping data request; known for voter suppression policies as Kansas Secretary of State","institution":"Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2018-01-03","summary":"Updated with dissolution."}]}}