The request is for a list of the names, party affiliations, addresses and voting histories of all voters, if state law allows it to be public.
“Voter registration information is a public record and is available online,” Husted said Friday. “The confidential information, such as the last four digits of a voter’s Social Security number or their Ohio driver license number is not publicly available and will not be provided to the Commission.”
Husted, a Republican, is running for governor in 2018.
RELATED: Ohio’s elections chief at odds with Trump over claims of voter fraud
A Wednesday letter from the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity gives secretaries of state about two weeks to provide about a dozen points of voter data. That also would include dates of birth, the last four digits of voters’ Social Security numbers and any information about felony convictions and military status.
“In responding to the commission, we will have ideas on how the federal government can better support states in running elections. However, we will make it clear that we do not want any federal intervention in our state’s right and responsibility to conduct elections,” Husted said.
Trump lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton but has alleged, without evidence, that 3 to 5 million people voted illegally. In addition to the voter information, the letter asks state officials for suggestions on improving election integrity and to share any evidence of fraud and election-related crimes in their states.
The data will help the commission “fully analyze vulnerabilities and issues related to voter registration and voting,” vice chairman and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach wrote.
RELATED: Did Russia target Ohio’s election?
On Thursday, Virginia’s governor and the secretaries of state in California and Kentucky, all Democrats, responded that they will not share the information.
Trump created the commission through an executive order in May.
The panel is seeking “public information and publicly available data” from every state and the District of Columbia, said Marc Lotter, a spokesman for Vice President Mike Pence, who is chairing the commission. Lotter described the intent of the request as “fact-finding” and said there were no objections to it by anyone on the 10-member commission, which includes four Democrats.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
About the Authors
