New Jersey official: Only public information for Trump election fraud commission
The director of the New Jersey Division of Elections says no voter information will be released to the federal commission "that is not publicly available." (AP file photo)
New Jersey’s top election official has indicated the state won’t give President Donald Trump’s commission on election fraud the detailed data on the state’s voters it wants.
The Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity asked states for information on all registered voters, including partial Social Security numbers and criminal records.
More than 40 states have declined to provide all the data.
New Jersey, where Gov. Chris Christie is a vocal supporter of Trump, hasn’t responded to the commission.
Christie administration officials said in response to press inquiries the decision is up to the state’s Division of Elections, whose officials haven’t been available for comment for several days.
But the division’s director, Robert Giles, said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that no voter information will be released “that is not publicly available.”
That would seem to rule out the release of Social Security numbers and criminal records, which are not included in voter rolls. The state has until July 14 to formally respond to the commission.
On Wednesday, the New Jersey ACLU and the Institute of Social Justice wrote letters urging the state to reject the request.
Institute attorney Scott Novakowski said the state can’t release that private data, and it shouldn’t trust the commission.
“It was created by the president, really, with the goal of perpetuating this myth of pervasive voter fraud,” he said.
Trump has claimed illegal voting was widespread in the presidential election.
Officials in Pennsylvania and Delaware have said they won’t comply with the commission’s request.
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