The New York State Board of Elections (BOE) held their regular meeting on Wednesday, August 2 and announced they will be sending voter information to the federal Election Integrity Commission. They will not be including any Social Security numbers, but will release other information on voters. This request was made by the Commission through a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request and the state BOE has sent this information to other organizations in previous FOIL requests. Hours later, the NY State League released the following statement:
Statement on Release of Voter Data to Federal Election Integrity Commission
“It is very distressing to hear that the New York State Board of Elections has agreed to release voter information to the federal Election Integrity Commission. Although the release of this information through Freedom of Information Law requests is not uncommon, this particular request is a veiled threat to our state’s voters. It is our fear that the collection of this data will ultimately lead to an increase in voter suppression. The Commission is already having a negative impact on our voters. The League has received many phone calls from individuals wishing to “unregister” themselves and remove themselves from the state voter database in order to remain anonymous to this commission. We encourage all voters to stand strong in the face of oppression. Get registered, stay registered, and VOTE in all upcoming elections.”
– Jennifer Wilson, Program and Policy Director, League of Women Voters New York State