Talking Points on Executive Order Ending Trump's election commission

• The end of Trump’s election commission is a victory for Americans who value the fairness and security of our elections. From the start, this commission was focused on the wrong issues and led by the wrong people.
• Immediately after the dissolution of the commission, the Trump administration and de facto commission leader Kris Kobach stated the Department of Homeland Security would be asked to continue the commission’s work. Why would DHS want to continue efforts that lacked transparency and threatened the privacy of voters? So that work can exclude bipartisan input and be conducted in secret behind the closed doors of DHS.
• The Department of Homeland Security has already prioritized voting infrastructure after it confirmed that foreign interests tried to tamper with the 2016 elections. In many states, election technology is over 10 years old and needs to be upgraded to fend off attacks. Supporting election leaders to upgrade voting systems and defend against outside attacks is the clear priority. DHS should support state election infrastructure and policies like mandatory audits and early warning systems to prevent potential hackers.
• It is alarming that Homeland Security officials may now have access to state voter rolls. This department, charged with immigration enforcement by an hostile administration, controls several databases of immigrants’ personal data. This data, in combination with voter rolls, could be used to target voters who are naturalized citizens. Kris Kobach seems to think that Immigration and Customs Enforcement will somehow be involved, which makes absolutely no sense.   
  • Already, a federal court stopped Florida from using this data to update voter lists because it produced so many errors when officials tried to cross-reference DHS and voter data.
• Americans from many backgrounds know that our election system needs to be updated. We can’t let politicians use this moment to write even more rules to rig elections in their favor, and allow they to pick and choose who gets to vote. We need elections that are secure and fair.
• Trump used his Twitter account to promote restrictive voting laws. The courts have already said what these efforts are illegal: stripping eligible voters of their rights based on the color for their skin. In North Carolina and Texas, federal courts struck down laws that were intentionally designed to stop African Americans and Latinos from voting.
• Generations of Americans fought and died for our right to vote, the freedom to choose our leaders, and the right to speak up for our beliefs. Restricting a person's vote is taking away their freedom.
• Now is the time to offer solutions that safeguard our elections and ensure that every eligible American can vote. Together, we can work with election leaders to improve the security and accuracy of our elections with automatic voter registration, mandatory audits, and funding for new election equipment.
• We must make voting fair and accessible so that all eligible Americans can have their voices heard and their vote counted. Without this, a democracy of, for, and by the people is an empty promise.