Florida Democrats Issue Response to Secretary Ken Detzner’s Indecision on Releasing Floridians’ Voter Data
TALLAHASSEE – In response to the Scott Administration’s silence regarding Donald Trump’s request for Floridians’ voter data, Florida Democratic Party Leadership has sent the following letter to Secretary of State Ken Detzner:
July 5, 2017
The Honorable Ken Detzner
Secretary of State
Florida Department of State
R.A. Gray Building
500 South Bronough Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399
Dear Mr. Secretary,
Over the past week, top election officials from around the country—Democrat and Republican—have rejected requests for sensitive voter data from Donald Trump’s “election integrity” commission.
This commission is a total sham. Donald Trump’s assertion that 3 to 5 million votes were cast illegally is an outright lie. This is fearmongering at its worst and a direct attack on the integrity of our electoral process by our nation’s highest officeholder.
The false claim of widespread voter fraud has been universally debunked countless times. For making this claim, Donald Trump is either massively ignorant and ill-advised, or this is a thinly-veiled attempt at justifying national voter suppression tactics—we believe it is likely a combination of the two.
This request is voluntary and many states have already refused to turn over their citizens’ data. We remind you that complying with this request may put voters at risk of identity theft, encroach federal rights to privacy, and violate the Federal Voting Rights Act in addition to the Florida Constitution.
There are certainly issues in our electoral system that should be addressed—foreign attempts to influence our elections come to mind most immediately.
It is outrageous for the President to abuse his bully pulpit to spread such an egregious lie. By propagating this absurd claim, Donald Trump is severely undercutting the credibility of our democracy—to the citizens of this nation and to the members of the international community.
We strongly urge our state government to show good judgement and reject Donald Trump’s request for the private information of Florida voters.
To entertain the notion of massive voter fraud—where there is none— is to put our democracy in jeopardy. We trust that the administration will put politics aside in this instance and do the right thing.
Sincerely,
Stephen Bittel, Florida Democratic Party Chair
Oscar Braynon, Senate Leader
Jeff Clemens, Senate Leader-Designate
Janet Cruz, House Leader
Kionne McGhee, House Leader-Designate
