Quijano Presses Guadagno Over Voter Roll Data

Assemblywoman Demands Answers Regarding Whether Secretary of State Will Send Voters’ Information to Federal Government

(TRENTON) – Assemblywoman Annette Quijano on Wednesday urged Lt. Gov. Kimberly Guadagno – who also serves as the Secretary of State of New Jersey – to let the public know whether she will send information regarding the state’s voter rolls to the Trump administration.

The Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, formed in May, in June sent a letter to all 50 states requesting voters’ personal information, including: names, addresses, dates of birth, political party, last four digits of Social Security number, voter history from 2006 onward, active/inactive status, cancelled status, information regarding any felony convictions, information regarding voter registration in another state, information regarding military status and overseas citizen information. Documents gathered by the commission will be made available to the public, according to Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, vice-chair of the commission.

Voters in New Jersey deserve to know whether Guadagno already has sent their information to the commission or intends to send it prior to the July 14 deadline, Quijano said.

“Turning over sensitive voter information to the federal government with no clear indication of how the Trump administration intends to use it simply is bad for our democracy,” said Quijano (D-Union). “Our nation ought to focus on reducing voter suppression and increasing civic engagement, which are the real threats to our voting process.”

As election protocol falls under the purview of the secretary of state – not the federal government – Guadagno has a duty not to comply with Kobach’s request for voter information, Quijano said.

“Considering how rare voter fraud is – despite the president’s unfounded assertions – we should be wary of this commission’s motives. When the states already have officials responsible for monitoring elections, one cannot help but wonder why the Trump administration is conducting a massive collection of personal information,” said Quijano. “If she has not done so already, I urge Lt. Gov. Guadagno to refuse to submit New Jersey voters’ personally identifiable information to the commission.”