Washington D.C. – Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) joined 25 colleagues in demanding the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity rescind its request that state election officials provide sensitive voter roll data. Sen. Murray opposes the unprecedented request that threatens the privacy of millions of Americans and risks improper removal of eligible voters from voter registration lists in violation of the National Voter Registration Act. In the letter, the Senators warn that voting rights are at risk.
“This request is unprecedented in scope and raises serious privacy concerns. The requested data is highly sensitive and after recent data breaches and cyber-attacks targeting our election infrastructure, we are deeply concerned about how the Commission will maintain the security and privacy of the data,” the Senators wrote. “We are also concerned about why the Commission is requesting sensitive voting data and how it will be used. Leaders of the Commission said they intend to compare state voter information with federal databases in order to prevent voter fraud. Experts have raised significant concern that false-positive results from such a cross-check will lead to the improper removal of eligible voters from voter registration lists. Improperly removing Americans from registration lists is a violation of the National Voter Registration Act and will hamper Americans’ right to vote.”
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=6B0CC8C8-7479-4C1E-9BC2-D8FF58FB746A
(press release issued July 7th
The full text of the letter is below:
Dear Chairman Pence and Vice-chairman Kobach:
We write with deep concerns regarding the June 28th request by Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity (“the Commission”) for state election officials to provide sensitive voter roll data and demand that the Commission rescind its request. If the Commission refuses to rescind the request, we ask that you provide information about how the Commission intends to use and protect the data.
In a letter, the Commission requests personal information of American voters that is generally unavailable to the public, including names, addresses, dates of birth, political parties, voter histories, and the last four digits of Americans' social security numbers. This request is unprecedented in scope and raises serious privacy concerns. The requested data is highly sensitive and after recent data breaches and cyber-attacks targeting our election infrastructure, we are deeply concerned about how the Commission will maintain the security and privacy of the data.
Election officials from more than forty states share our concern, including Republican officials from Mississippi, Tennessee, and Ohio. Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson, a member of the Commission and the President of the National Association of Secretaries of State, noted that the Commission’s request conflicts with state laws. Even Vice-chair Kobach who requested the information indicated that Kansas will not supply certain information to the Commission.
We are also concerned about why the Commission is requesting sensitive voting data and how it will be used. Leaders of the Commission said they intend to compare state voter information with federal databases in order to prevent voter fraud. Experts have raised significant concern that false-positive results from such a cross-check will lead to the improper removal of eligible voters from voter registration lists. Improperly removing Americans from registration lists is a violation of the National Voter Registration Act and will hamper Americans’ right to vote.
Also troubling is the Commission’s lack of focus on legitimate threats, such as foreign cyber-attacks on our election infrastructure. Therefore, we demand the Commission rescind its request for sensitive voter roll data and refrain from requesting such information in the future. If the Commission refuses to rescind its request, we ask that you provide the following information in order to ensure that voting rights and the privacy of millions of Americans are not at risk.
1. How do you intend to store and protect the data you receive from state election officials?
2. Which databases do you intend to use for cross-checking voter data and how will you work to ensure those databases are current?
3. What do you intend to do with the information obtained from cross-checking the data?
4. What communications have you had with the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security regarding requests for voter information? Please provide records and details of any communication.
5. The Department of Homeland Security is charged with leading federal efforts to protect national critical infrastructure, including voter registration databases, against cyber threats. What communications have you had with the Department of Homeland Security regarding requests for voter information? Please provide records and details of any communication.
6. The Commission’s letter requests election officials send correspondence and data to ElectionIntegrityStaff@ovp.eop.gov. Who has access to this email account and what is being done to ensure it is secure? Please provide the names of all staff members who will have access to the data, including Administration officials and members of the Commission.
7. It was recently disclosed that more than 21 states were victims of attempted election hacks by Russia. As one of the major issues facing U.S. democracy today is the protection of our state election systems from cyber-attacks, why would the Commission think it prudent to collect state-by-state voter information? One of the best protections we have against foreign interference is the decentralized nature of our elections. Why does the Commission think centralizing this data is a good idea?
8. Much of the data the Commission collects will not be aggregated in a format ready for data analysis. Does the Commission intend to hire objective data professionals to manage and standardize the data?
9. Many states have laws that prevent them from disclosing sensitive data that the Commission is requesting. Some state elected officials are particularly concerned about providing social security information. For example, Vice-chair Kobach has indicated that Kansas will not provide social security information to the Commission. How does the Commission plan to proceed if states do not submit the information they have requested?
We should be working to make it easier for Americans to vote, not harder. Please provide your responses to these questions in writing by July 12th, 2017. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
During Visits With Patients, Providers in WA, Sen. Murray Hears Resounding Message Being Told Nationwide: Trumpcare Would Devastate Efforts to Combat Opioid Crisis
SEATTLE, WA – Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) met with patients and providers in Washington state this week to hear first-hand about how the Medicaid cuts under the Senate Republican Trumpcare bill would impact efforts to prevent and treat substance use disorders, specifically opioid addiction. Last week, Republican leadership decided to delay a vote on Trumpcare due to overwhelming pressure nationwide and lack of support from members of their own party.Yesterday, Sen. Murray visited the Community Health Center of Snohomish County (CHC) to meet with doctors and providers and hear their concerns about Trumpcare’s cuts to Medicaid and subsequent impact on the center’s ability to treat opioid addiction. The CHC provides critical health care services to Washingtonians who participate in Medicare and Medicaid. At the CHC, Sen. Murray spoke with patients Rachel Weaver and Dan Veach, who both shared how Medicaid has helped them continue their recovery from substance use disorder.
This morning, Sen. Murray visited Swedish Hospital in Seattle to tour the pain management center and meet with doctors from the addiction medicine program who specialize in chronic pain management and opioid therapies, particularly addiction in pregnant women. Sen. Murray sat down with patients Rachael Erks and Angelina Martin to discuss their struggles combating addiction and subsequent success with treatment.
“I hope my Republican colleagues take the earful they’re getting to heart and come back ready to drop Trumpcare and all the harm it would do for patients like those I spoke with in Washington state this week, who are getting treatment for substance use disorders or access to a primary care doctor under Medicaid,” said Senator Murray. “I’ve heard story after story this week about how devastating Trumpcare would be for patients and families across Washington state, especially those in communities struggling to address the opioid epidemic, and I’m going back to the other Washington to share those stories and make clear it’s time for Republicans to drop Trumpcare once and for all.”
“Opioid addiction and deaths in Washington have been climbing over the last 15 years. It is an issue we have been working diligently to address through the Joint Opioid Safe Practices Task Force, with Senator Patty Murray’s support,” said the Washington State Medical Association and Washington State Hospital Association. “The Medicaid cuts, coupled with the $2 billion budget treatment & recovery services, proposed in the Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act would have a devastating impact on those seeking help with addiction. It is vital, not only for Washington residents but for all Americans to have access to the treatment they need. This bill would pull coverage from thousands who need it, and cut funding to a fraction of the amount needed to adequately support some of our most vulnerable citizens.”
These visits to the CHC and Swedish build upon Sen. Murray’s ongoing work to combat the opioid crisis in Washington state. Last December, Sen. Murray secured $1 billion in federal funding to combat opioid addiction nationwide, including a recent $11 million investment in Washington state. With Senate Republicans doing everything they can to jam Trumpcare through the Senate, Sen. Murray has now been working to organize Democrats and stakeholders to defeat the bill.
Last week, Sen. Murray released a report to her Senate colleagues on the disastrous consequences Trumpcare would have for individuals seeking treatment for substance use disorders. The report outlines how Trumpcare would remove critical protections and slash expanded Medicaid coverage that dramatically increased access to health care services for those with mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The Senate version of Trumpcare would cut over $700 billion from Medicaid over the next ten years.
This week, Sen. Murray also released a state-by-state analysis on what is at risk if the Prevention and Public Health Fund is eliminated under Trumpcare. Since 2010, the Prevention and Public Fund has invested $97 million in critical public health programs in Washington state for immunizations, outbreak preparedness, opioid epidemic response, and more. If Trumpcare passes, $5.3 billion in investments for essential public health funding would be cut over the next five years – $3 billion of which would have gone directly to states
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=5C3ECBF6-1D1A-4D50-BBB7-5FBE8EC50681
(press release issued July 7th)
On page 2: SHOULD WE CEASE TRADE WITH CHINA UNTIL THEY NO LONGER SUPPORT LITTLE BROTHER NORTH KOREA?
WORLD NEWS SPOTLIGHT REPORT
WP: Qatar agrees to curb terrorism financing under deal with U.S.
Secretary of State Tillerson reached the agreement, which aims to encourage Qatar's neighbors to abandon their embargo on the country.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/qatar-agrees-to-curb-terrorism-financing-under-deal-with-us/2017/07/11/1a86e3b0-a041-4300-ab03-c840d8a19bcf_story.html
