
This piece originally appeared online at .
Last Wednesday, Kris Kobach, the secretary of state of Kansas and the vice chairman of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, wrote a to all 50 states, requesting that they send the commission the personal information of all registered voters.
This includes full names, birth dates, addresses, political affiliations, voting history and last four digits of Social Security numbers. The letter says that all documents provided to the commission will be made public.
What could possibly go wrong?
There are obvious data privacy concerns. Digital security experts have the plan a gold mine for hackers. Mr. Kobachs letter says the data will be held on a secure FTP site, but offers no details. Mr. Kobach himself appears to be , recently saying that, notwithstanding his request to other states, he will not be giving Kansas voters Social Security information to his own commission.
More important, its obvious that the commission collecting this information is intended to sell President Trumps lie that he won the popular vote (once you deduct the millions of supposedly illegal votes, of course).
We know this because Mr. Kobach, the de facto head of the commission, is a of that lie: I think the president-elect is absolutely correct when he says the number of illegal votes cast exceeds the popular vote margin between him and Hillary Clinton, he told reporters last fall.
This commission is not meant to ensure that Americas voter rolls are accurate. It is meant to disenfranchise voters.
To continue reading, click .
Learn More 勛圖眻畦 the Issues on This Page
Related Content
-
Press ReleaseMay 2025
Voting Rights
Black Alabama Voters Win Fair Congressional Representation for Remainder of the Decade
BIRMINGHAM, AL A federal court has ruled after a full trial that Alabamas 2023 congressional map not only violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act but was enacted by the Alabama Legislature with racially discriminatory intent. This ruling establishes that the Alabama congressional map must include two districts where Black voters have the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice (like the map ordered by the court in October 2023) for the remainder of the decade. The court-ordered map used in the 2024 elections resulted in Alabama electing two Black representatives to Congress for the first time in history. The courts decision follows a series of legal challenges where a group of voters argued that Alabamas congressional districts violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting Black voting power. The Supreme Court agreed in a 2023 ruling that the plaintiffs were likely to prevail on that claim, and in its decision in Allen v. Milligan, mandated the creation of a second opportunity district that resulted in the current map. Despite these previous decisions, Alabama insisted on a full trial of the case, and once again the Court ruled against its congressional map as unfairly harming Black voters. This time, however, also ruled that Alabama had intentionally discriminated against its Black citizens in enacting the map. The case was originally brought in November 2021 on behalf of Evan Milligan, Khadidah Stone, Letetia Jackson, Shalela Dowdy, Greater Birmingham Ministries, and the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP who are represented by the 勛圖眻畦, 勛圖眻畦 of Alabama, Legal Defense Fund, Hogan Lovells LLP, and Wiggins, Childs, Pantazis, Fisher & Goldfarb. This win is a testament to the dedication and persistence of many generations of Black Alabamians who pursued political equality at great cost. We stand on the shoulders of our predecessors. We know that all Alabamians will benefit from todays victory just as we have benefited from the work of others. We hope our win will benefit Black voters in the rest of the country as well. This is a triumph for voting rights, an independent judiciary, and offers us hope for the future of our democracy, a joint comment from plaintiffs of the case. The court has once again recognized that in order to comply with the Voting Rights Act, said Davin Rosborough, deputy director of the 勛圖眻畦s Voting Rights Project, "it is essential that Alabamas congressional map have two opportunity districts for Black voters. Todays decision is a testament to the persistence and resilience of Black voters in Alabama, including our clients, said Deuel Ross, deputy director of litigation at the Legal Defense Fund. Alabamas unprecedented defiance of the Supreme Court and the lower court orders harkens back to the darkest days of American history. The courts ruling reaffirms the rule of law and the importance of protecting the fundamental right to vote of Black Alabamians in the Black belt and all Americans. "This ruling is not just a legal win its an overdue acknowledgment of Alabama lawmakers' persistent attempts to shut out Black voters from the electoral process, said Laurel Hattix, senior attorney at the 勛圖眻畦 of Alabama. For decades, Black Alabamians have organized and fought for not just their voting rights, but the voting rights of all Americans. Today, the courts have affirmed what Black voters have long known: fair representation is not optional its a right. Read the court's ruling here: https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2025/05/490-FOF-COL-Injunction.pdfCourt Case: Allen v. MilliganAffiliate: Alabama -
Press ReleaseApr 2025
Voting Rights
Court Blocks Documentary Proof-of-Citizenship Provision in Voting Executive Order
WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, a federal court judge issued a ruling in League of Women Voters et. al. v. Trump et. al., temporarily blocking the U.S. Election Assistance Commission from implementing a mandate in the presidents executive order to add a requirement to show a passport or similar document proving citizenship when registering to vote via the federal form. While the case proceeds, this injunction preserves the status quo wherein would-be-voters already affirm under penalty of perjury that they are U.S. citizens on the federal form. Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the 勛圖眻畦's Voting Rights Project, released the following statement: President Trump's attempt to impose a documentary proof of citizenship requirement on the federal voter registration form is an unconstitutional abuse of power. If implemented, it would place serious and unnecessary burdens on everyday Americans and strain already overburdened election officials. This executive order is part of a broader attack on our democratic elections by promoting baseless nativist conspiracy theories. Today, the court blocked a key strategy of this attack. And we will keep fighting to ensure every eligible voter can make their voice heard without interference or intimidation." The 勛圖眻畦 and co-counsel partners representing the League of Women Voters plaintiffs also made the following joint statement in reaction to the preliminary injunction: The courts decision today provides crucial protections for eligible voters, and the organizations that help them register to vote, while the fight continues against this illegal executive order. Millions of U.S. citizens lack easy access to a passport or other documents proving citizenship, and that shouldnt interfere with their ability to register to vote. The presidents attempted takeover of federal elections is a blatant overreach to seize power that doesnt belong to him. Under the Constitution, that power belongs to the U.S. Congress and states. The president lacks authority to rewrite the countrys election rules on his own by weaponizing an independent, bipartisan commission to harm eligible voters. The order should ultimately be struck down. Our clients are conducting voter registration using the federal form on an ongoing basis, including for elections scheduled for this summer and fall. Not only would our clients be harmed by the mandate to include this unnecessary and cumbersome requirement but the voters they serve would be too. The plaintiffs in League of Women Voters et. al. v. Trump et. al. are Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote, Hispanic Federation, National League of Women Voters, League of Women Voters of Arizona, League of Women Voters Education Fund, NAACP, and OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates. They are represented by the 勛圖眻畦, 勛圖眻畦 of D.C., Asian Americans Advancing Justice AAJC (Advancing Justice AAJC), Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, the Legal Defense Fund, and LatinoJustice PRLDEF. See a copy of the ruling here: https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2025/04/2025-04-24-Memorandum-Opinion-dckt-104_0-1.pdfCourt Case: League of Women Voters Education Fund v. Trump -
CaliforniaApr 2025
Voting Rights
Issa v. Weber
Congressman Darrell Issa sued to prevent California from counting mail ballots postmarked by election day and received within the following seven days, consistent with California law. If successful, literally hundreds of thousands of Californians will be disenfranchised at each election. The 勛圖眻畦 and its three California affiliates have sought to intervene in the case on behalf of the League of Women Voters of California to ensure that California voters are able to have their ballots counted consistent with state procedures.Status: Ongoing -
Press ReleaseApr 2025
Voting Rights
Federal Court Rules Mississippi's Legislative Remedial Maps Still Violate Voting Rights Act in Desoto County
JACKSON, Miss. A federal court yesterday ruled that remedial state Senate maps passed by the Legislature earlier this year still do not remedy unlawful vote dilution in the DeSoto County area. New maps for the area will now be ordered into place by the court in advance of special elections set for November 2025. In March, the Mississippi Legislature proposed new legislative maps intended to comply with a 2024 federal court order to create additional legislative districts in which Black voters have an opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. The court order came after a group of plaintiffs, including the State Conference of the NAACP and individual Black voters from across the state, successfully proved at trial that the state House and Senate maps enacted after the 2020 Census diluted Black voting strength in violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The court directed lawmakers to enact three remedial districts in the DeSoto County and Hattiesburg areas in the state Senate, and the Chickasaw and Monroe County area in the state House. Representing the plaintiffs, a coalition including the 勛圖眻畦s Voting Rights Project, the 勛圖眻畦 of Mississippi, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Mississippi Center for Justice, and attorney Carroll Rhodes filed partial objections to the Legislatures remedial plans as to the lines in the DeSoto County area and the Chickasaw/Monroe County area. The courts decision accepted the Legislatures remedial plans in the Hattiesburg area (which plaintiffs did not challenge) and in the Chickasaw/Monroe County area, but sustained plaintiffs objections in DeSoto County. Plaintiffs submitted alternative plans for the Senate districts in the DeSoto County area which the court will now consider as a potential remedy. The court also gave the state defendants seven days to propose their own alternative remedial map for the area. The following is reaction to the court ruling: This is an important win for Black voters in the DeSoto County area, who deserve nothing less than a fully equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice, said Ari Savitzky, senior staff attorney with the 勛圖眻畦s Voting Rights Project. The courts decision makes that possible. We will keep fighting to enforce voters rights under the Voting Rights Act. The court rightly rejected the proposed DeSoto County senate districts. The Mississippi Legislatures attempt to skirt the law would have actually diminished Black voting power in the northwest corner of the state. Jarvis Dortch, executive director of the 勛圖眻畦 of Mississippi. Our goal in this case is to achieve fair representation for Black people in Mississippi. This ruling striking down the states legislative map for DeSoto County takes an important step toward that goal. The court gave the state another chance to get its map right. We will carefully review the states new map to ensure that it enables Black voters to participate fully in the political process and to elect candidates of their choice, said Jennifer Nwachukwu, senior counsel from the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The ruling is here.