* From the Illinois State Board of Elections…
Hon. Kris W. Kobach
Vice Chair
Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity
Vice Chair Kobach:
On July 5, 2017, the Illinois Secretary of State received your letter dated June 28, 2017, wherein the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity (the “Commission”) requests information relating to elections in Illinois.
I am writing today in response to the request for the publicly available voter data roll for the State of Illinois. The Illinois Election Code, at 10 ILCS 5/1A-25, 4-8, 5-7 and 6-35, protects the confidentiality and privacy of voter registration data, limiting its release to registered political committees for political purposes and to governmental entities for governmental purposes, subject to the restriction that voter data not be released to the public. Your letter indicates that any information and voter registration data provided to the Commission will be made available to the public.
In short, the State of Illinois does not have a publicly available voter roll. Therefore, our agency does not have any material responsive to the Commission’s request.
We look forward to providing a supplemental response at a later date addressing the seven questions set forth in your letter.
If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me. Respectfully submitted,
Kenneth R. Menzel General Counsel,
State Board of Elections
- Northsider - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 4:34 pm:
I would’ve preferred they tell this bogus, voter suppression panel to go east ’til their hats float, but this dry response will do.
- godhelpusall - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 4:39 pm:
This dry response is the right kind of response. Nice and to the point.
- Norseman - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 4:39 pm:
Good answer.
- Chicago Cynic - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 4:48 pm:
Translation: Illinois to Trump: Go pound sand!
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 4:49 pm:
A respectful ‘up yers’
- northernwatersports - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:04 pm:
Every single registered voter in Illinois (regardless of party or persuasion) should be informed of this action by the ISBE. Brief, professional and courteous “No” is the answer, and everyone can start to feel even the slightest more confidence in the integrity of our elections and voters ID and personal information (at least in Illinois) is secure.
Now…if I lived in Kansas……maybe not so much
- Illinois 1867 - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:17 pm:
Good deal on not giving it the feds. How about we also pass laws not giving our voter information to political parties either.
- Grandpa - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:26 pm:
Mr. Menzel, thank you for protecting the voters of Illinois from this person they call President.
- Moe Berg - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:26 pm:
Good and good on almost all the states for rejecting this nonsense.
- cover - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:31 pm:
= Now…if I lived in Kansas……maybe not so much =
Even Kansas refused to provide the requested data.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:47 pm:
Menzel has always been a class act.
- The Dude Abides - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:30 pm:
Good response! I agree that this is about voter suppression.
- Mama - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 7:37 pm:
“We look forward to providing a supplemental response at a later date addressing the seven questions set forth in your letter.”
Please share those ‘7 questions’ with IL citizens. The 7 questions in which you plan to provide a ’supplemental response’. IL citizens have the right to know what information you will be providing at a later date. Thank you.
- LibertyvilleNick - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 7:42 pm:
Illinois 1867
Amen. It takes minutes to set up a political committee, never run for office and get all the data you want.
- Sally - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 10:20 pm:
Thank you. Proud of your response. We want our America back - so relieved by your letter.
- HangingOn - Friday, Jul 7, 17 @ 9:44 am:
@Mama, here is the letter
https://tinyurl.com/y794z7d5
The 7 questions are the general “what do you think we can do” type