TJC & VRA Denounce Trump Administration Executive Order Establishing Election Integrity Commission

The Transformative Justice Coalition and the Voting Rights Alliance strongly denounce the Trump Administration's Executive Order establishing an Election Integrity Commission as a cynical ploy to promote voter suppression. "As every study has found insignificant instances of voter fraud, the prioritization of this Commission by President Trump serves no other purpose than that of promoting a false narrative and more voter suppression," said President and Founder Barbara R. Arnwine of the Transformative Justice Coalition and Co-Chair of the Voting Rights Alliance.

The real focus and issues facing Americans’ Election Integrity is the proliferation of 21st Century Jim Crow voter suppression laws throughout our nation, 21st Century IT hacking of our voting machines and no accountability for election results (25% of our voting machines produce NO paper ballots), the gerrymandering of our legislative districts that eliminate competitive elections and stifle public policy debate, and the proliferation of money and secret donations into our American election system. If American democracy is to survive and fulfill the vision of our founding fathers, these are the issues that must be addressed and eliminated.

No further evidence of the bad intent of this Commission is needed than that of the appointment of Voter Suppressor In Chief, Kris Kobach, Kansas Secretary of State, as Vice-Chair. Over the last several years, Mr. Kobach's schemes to impose proof of citizenship restrictions on the voters of Kansas have been repeatedly rejected by the courts. In addition, Mr. Kobach has been a strong proponent of the Interstate Crosscheck system, which has wrongfully purged voters from state registration rolls. Greg Palast's film "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy," details Mr. Kobach's involvement in creating the racially oppressive Crosscheck system.

Any legitimate commission would include members who reflect the organizations which have worked incessantly to combat voter suppression such as Project Vote, the NAACP, the Voting Rights Alliance and more, instead of known serial voter suppressors.

Placing this Commission under the supervision of the anti-voting rights Department of Justice and Attorney General Jefferson Sessions also evidences its purpose to restrict the American electorate at the expense of African American, Latino, Native American, student, low income, and disabled voters. This Commission also will waste public resources.

"We will not remain idle whilst the blood sacrifices of so many people for our voting rights are denigrated and undermined by this Administration," said Ms. Arnwine. "We will fight until this Commission is disbanded."