OPINION | Liberal hysteria over Trump’s voter fraud panel proves why it’s needed – The Hill (blog)

The sky is falling! President Trumps Commission on Election Integrity is looking for ways to better protect the ballot box against voter fraud undermining the integrity of U.S. elections.

One would figure that the Democrats would welcome such a move. After all, CNN uses 93 percent of its airtime to talk about the Russia narrative. An impartial look at the circumstances around each part of the election is something both sides normally would agree upon.

However, the manic left threw that one out the window. Looking into registration forms and voter ID is the new dog whistle of racism.

Kobach: Americans have widespread "lingering doubts" about elections from voter fraud https://t.co/eqyvYfGiry pic.twitter.com/DqqlSA3LQ8

The commissions first action was toaskall 50 states to send in voter registration records including names, dates of birth, and voting history in order to study the extent of voter fraud. A number of states haverefusedto comply.

How could states hold onto such information? Well, they cant. The Trump administration only requested information that is publicly available under the laws of your state. In the case of the last four digits of social security numbers, the commission only requested that informationif it is public recordin any particular state. States can of course send in all the other informationto the commissionbut withhold partial social security numbers if they are not public record.

Thats not what the headlines say, though. There is full-on panic from the same people that say voter fraud never happens. To a CNN contributor, its a sham. To the New York Times editorial board, its fraudulent. Left-of-center voters were so offended by the commission, that they bombarded its office with porn. The open meetings are operating in the dark, says the ACLU. It will suppress the vote. Its Trumps biggest lie.

None of these points address the stated goal of the commission. The media derided President Trumps assertions that millions of illegals voted in the 2016 election. But his claims may be true. Millions of non-citizens voted in 2008 according to some studies and overwhelmingly for Democrats. This number likely handed over Minnesotas Senate seat to Al FrankenAl FrankenOPINION | Liberal hysteria over Trump's voter fraud panel proves why it's needed Three Dem senators call for 'immediate review' of Kushner's security clearance Live coverage: Trump's FBI nominee questioned by senators MORE and gave Democrats a 60 vote, filibuster-proof majority.

#BREAKING: Trump: It's the "sacred duty" of his voter fraud commission to find "full truth"https://t.co/GVgnzWTHuo pic.twitter.com/td2J58AK20

Will Trumps commission have a chilling effect on the number of votes cast? Likely not. If past history is any indication, there will be a combination of effects. First, the number of illegal immigrants casting ballots will fall substantially. Secondly, more voters will turn out for a system they feel isnt rigged against them; remember, candidate Trump turned outso-called low propensity voters just waiting for a person on the ballot that spoke to them, not over them.

As mentioned earlier, the information the administration wants is out there already. In fact, many campaigns and states regularly sell this same voter information to campaigns, candidates, and political strategists for a hefty profit. The information available to the highest bidder is almost word-for-word the same as that requested from the Commission Chair Kris Kobach. Personally-identifiable data was not requested and much of the information is held by local polling canvassers or county clerks offices.

So whats at stake here? 24 million, or about 13 percent of all voter registrations are incorrect nationwide. Nearly 3 million people are registered to vote in two states. Close to 2 million registered voters are deceased. A Virginia student recently registered 18 dead people and that follows a report that 5,500 non-citizens were discovered on the states voter rolls.

WATCH LIVE: Trump speaks at voter fraud commission's first official meeting https://t.co/cwHP5dEqqE pic.twitter.com/BmbA5yzGA3

Using publicly-available voter roll information, the commission could cross-check voter registration rolls with a list of known illegal immigrants and other non-citizens. Its a legal, transparent, and practical step yet the Obama administration infamously declined to support this. For all of the talk on the left about how voter fraud isnt real, perhaps it is because only one side actually enforces the law.

Research showed that about 18,000 noncitizens in Kansas Kobachs home state were either on voter rolls or attempted to register to voteandup to 2.6 percent of the states populationis undocumented. Illegal immigrants make up nearly 6 percent of Californias population. Some back of the envelope math means that there could be more than a million illegal voters in the state alone. Meanwhile, California somehow recorded a 75.2 percent turnout last year, way above the 58 percent national average.

State after state after state went well out of their way to deny their voter info to the feds. In the words of President Trump, What do they think the commission will find?

Why would anyone be against such measures? Many of the same politicians seem to think little of the integrity of the democratic process. It is not a cudgel or bully pulpit. The vote is the peoples will and most sacred right. Citizenship is a federal issue, not a caveat for states to politically posture.

But I guess its less fun that way.

Kristin Tateis a conservative columnist and author of the book Government Gone Wild: How D.C. Politicians Are Taking You For a Ride And What You Can Do About It. She was recently named one of NewsMaxs 30 Most Influential Republicans Under 30.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.

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OPINION | Liberal hysteria over Trump's voter fraud panel proves why it's needed - The Hill (blog)