SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Lt. Governor Spencer Cox will only turn over public information to President Donald Trump’s commission set up to investigate voter fraud.
“There has been no evidence of mass voter fraud in Utah and we look forward to helping the federal government better understand the steps we have taken to ensure the security and validity of Utah’s elections,” Cox said in a statement Friday.
“It is the duty of my office to protect certain private voter information– we will not share any protected data with the Commission. However, similar to most other states, Utah law requires voter registration records be public documents that can be obtained by any person or entity who submits an appropriate records request.”
That information will not include Social Security and driver license numbers, Cox said in his statement.
President Trump, insisting that there were millions who committed voter fraud, created a special commission to investigate it. That commission has demanded personal information on voters in every state, which some election officials have bristled at.
Cox, a Republican, has previously called Trump’s comments about voter fraud “dangerous.”
Utah Democratic Party Chairwoman Daisy Thomas said what is being demanded “goes too far.”
“The demand for social security numbers, dates of birth, military status, political party, and voting history raises inquiries about Mr. Trump’s reasons behind creating such a commission. While he still refuses to recognize that the popular vote went to Sec. Clinton, his intentions in requesting this information are not only shady, but very unclear,” she said in an emailed statement.
Utah sells voter information, which includes the names, addresses, ages, occasional phone numbers and party affiliations of more than 1.4 million people for $1,050. Rep. Becky Edwards, R-North Salt Lake, has previously tried to limit that info but the Utah State Legislature has refused to pass it.
