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CHEYENNE – After carefully considering the request for voter information from the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, Secretary of State Ed Murray has decided to decline providing any Wyoming voter information.

In a statement earlier this week, Secretary of State Ed Murray said: “I am going to safeguard the privacy of Wyoming’s voters because of my strong belief in a citizen’s right of privacy. Furthermore, I believe elections are the responsibility of the states under the United States Constitution and I do believe this request could lead to a federal overreach. Finally, in reviewing the Commission’s request, I am not at all convinced that it has clearly stated its purpose is connected to the information requested.”

Secretary Murray further stated: “Wyoming’s elections are secure, fair, transparent and well-run. I assure every Wyoming citizen that I will safeguard the privacy of Wyoming’s voters while continuing to uphold and protect the integrity of Wyoming’s elections.”

According to Will Dineen, public information specialist for the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office, voter information is released to certain individuals and organizations on a routine basis. He said candidates may obtain for non-commercial purposes the name, address, precinct, districts, voting history, party affiliation and absentee information for voters. 

He added that under state statute, this information is available to candidates, candidate campaign committees, political party central committees and officials thereof, elected officials, political action committees, individuals or candidate promoting or opposing a ballot issue, and to organizations that promote voter participation.  

Regarding Murray’s statement that the presidential advisory committee request had not clearly stated its purpose, Dineen again reiterated, “The voter registry lists that may be released by the Office of Secretary of State are limited to political purposes only by Wyoming law, and may not be used for commercial purposes. 

Some states have denied the request like Wyoming while others are still undecided, according to Associated Press reports. Some states are providing partial information.

BACKGROUND

According to the Associated Press, President Donald Trump’s commission investigating alleged voter fraud in the 2016 elections has asked states for a list of the names, party affiliations, addresses and voting histories of all voters, if state law allows it to be public.

A June 28 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.

Some Democratic officials refused to comply, saying the request invades privacy and is based on false claims of fraud.

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.

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.