3 more Republican states (FL, MO, WV) announce they're leaving a key voting data sharing partnership (+OH.IA.AL.LA.VA)

[essentialsaltes]

The Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, is a multi-state partnership that experts across the political spectrum say is the only reliable, secure way for states to share voter registration data with each other.

But on Monday, three Republican-led states announced they are pulling out of ERIC — leaving questions about the future of a system that up until recently was a bipartisan success story, as well as questions about how these three states will maintain accurate voter lists without such a resource.

The states announced in tandem Monday that they were beginning the process to pull out, after weeks of tense negotiations over potential changes the organization could make to appease GOP members who have been facing constituent pressure about ERIC, in part due to a sustained misinformation campaign from the far-right.

The partnership allows states to use and share government data — from election offices as well as the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Social Security Administration — to eliminate dead voters from the rolls, find the few people in every federal election who illegally vote twice, and also register eligible voters when they move to a new place.

Four of its founding seven state members were Republican-run, and its membership has slowly grown to include more than 30 states and governments across the political spectrum, from the more liberal-minded Rhode Island and Washington, D.C., to the conservative South Carolina and Texas.

Shortly after the first Gateway Pundit article published in 2022, Louisiana became the first state to begin the process of withdrawing its membership in ERIC, citing "concerns raised by citizens, government watchdog organizations and media reports."

[Alabama has also already left.]

In their separate announcements on Monday, Florida, West Virginia and Missouri did not explain how they will maintain the accuracy of their voter lists without data from ERIC.

 

[Brihaha]

This seems counterintuitive to me. Especially when republicans have been complaining about voter rolls needing purged. Maybe their plans are to use the extra voter rolls so they can ensure a republican wins their state in 2024? They have been complaining about dead people needing to be removed from the rolls. So if they don't want them purged, logic dictates there must be a reason. They can't keep voter rolls purged without ERIC, that much is clear. If they couldn't keep the rolls purged with ERIC, then it seems apparent this is not a priority for them. More grandstanding to voters I suppose.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Ohio joins GOP-led states withdrawing from group that helps clean up voter rolls​

The decision adds to the ranks of states exiting as the Electronic Registration Information Center faces criticism from election deniers.​

Ohio became the latest Republican-led state on Friday to quit a little-known data-sharing consortium that has helped keep voter rolls nationwide updated and free of opportunities for fraud but has recently come under attack from election deniers spreading misinformation about its role.

The states’ departures come amid a steady stream of misinformation from election deniers — including former president Donald Trump — who have claimed without evidence that the group is a left-wing vehicle that shares sensitive voter data with liberal groups, encourages bloated and inaccurate rolls, and enables the very fraud it is intended to stamp out. Some of those exiting have also criticized ERIC’s requirement that member states encourage voter registration by contacting eligible but unregistered residents.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, one of the few Republican elected officials publicly defending the organization, said the other states’ withdrawal “all but guarantees” that their rolls will become less reliable and less accurate.
“Many of those states have been lucky enough to avoid the heavy scrutiny of a close, contentious election in recent years, as Georgia faced,” Raffensperger said. “But if Florida faces another election like it did in 2000, it will be wishing it had kept every tool available to make sure its voter rolls can be trusted.”

“This entire controversy is fueled by easily debunked misinformation and a newfound desire by some member states wanting to opt out of sending eligible citizens information on how to register to vote,” Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) said in a text message.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Virginia joins list of GOP states leaving bipartisan effort to combat voter fraud​

The state was one of the founding members when the Electronic Registration Information Center was formed in 2012, an effort promoted by then-Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell.
[that was the old GOP, this is the new]

Total number of states is now 8 that have pulled out.

 

[DaisyDay]

This is incredibly dysfunctional and downright stupid if they actually do want free and fair elections. Of course, an alternate explanation is that they don't mind a little fraud.

 

[essentialsaltes]

How the far right tore apart one of the best tools to fight voter fraud​

in January 2022, [ERIC] drew the ire of one of the most prolific misinformation peddlers on the internet: a website called the Gateway Pundit.

About a week before Louisiana's Ardoin made his reference to "media reports," the Gateway Pundit began targeting ERIC. The website published a series of articles that falsely said the bipartisan partnership was a "left wing voter registration drive," bankrolled by billionaire George Soros, aimed at helping Democrats win elections.

It's become clear the site ignited the election denial movement's fixation on ERIC.

Cleta Mitchell's growing influence​

"ERIC is a very insidious organization," said the host, Cleta Mitchell, in one episode from last summer.

Mitchell is an influential Republican election attorney who was at the center of Trump's failed attempts to overturn the 2020 election. She was on the infamous phone call in early 2021 when Trump asked Georgia election officials to "find" votes.

And she's spent the time since building an election denial infrastructure.

 

[essentialsaltes]

GOP states quit the program that fights voter fraud. Now they’re scrambling.​

Over the past year and a half, eight Republican-led states quit a nonpartisan program designed to keep voter rolls accurate and up to date.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed a law late last month that would allow the state to leave the program.

And Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams — a Republican who has also vocally defended ERIC — recently acknowledged his state is also looking at alternatives.

In recent months, elections officials in Ohio — one of the states that led the flight from ERIC — and elsewhere have been quietly convening leaders from dozens of states to talk about ways they can still work together to try to catch double-voters.

The scramble by states to fill a security gap left open by exiting ERIC comes at a critical time. Elections officials face ongoing scrutiny about the accuracy of voter rolls after extensive — and untrue — accusations of widespread fraud in the past two election cycles. The 2024 elections are getting closer.

 

[Pommer]

GOP states quit the program that fights voter fraud. Now they’re scrambling.​

Over the past year and a half, eight Republican-led states quit a nonpartisan program designed to keep voter rolls accurate and up to date.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed a law late last month that would allow the state to leave the program.

And Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams — a Republican who has also vocally defended ERIC — recently acknowledged his state is also looking at alternatives.

In recent months, elections officials in Ohio — one of the states that led the flight from ERIC — and elsewhere have been quietly convening leaders from dozens of states to talk about ways they can still work together to try to catch double-voters.

The scramble by states to fill a security gap left open by exiting ERIC comes at a critical time. Elections officials face ongoing scrutiny about the accuracy of voter rolls after extensive — and untrue — accusations of widespread fraud in the past two election cycles. The 2024 elections are getting closer.

Found on Wikipedia:
“States joining ERIC have agreed to pursue non-partisan and protective goals. Participating states are required to mail notifications to people identified as eligible to vote but not registered.”

 

[wing2000]

Over the past year and a half, eight Republican-led states quit a nonpartisan program designed to keep voter rolls accurate and up to date.

...one wonders what the GOP has planned for 2024....

 

[essentialsaltes]

Virginia in talks with Ohio, Florida, Texas in new voter fraud initiative​

Emails obtained using public records request show the states have the long-term goal of developing a centralized data sharing partnership to prevent voter fraud.​

The emails also hint that Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration was directly involved in Virginia's abrupt exit from [the centralized data sharing partnership that already exists], the Electronic Registration Information Center, commonly known as ERIC.

Many of the complaints cited by Virginia Commissioner of Elections Susan Beals in a May 11 letter announcing the state’s departure are also contradicted by talking points staff prepared for Beals several weeks before Virginia formally exited ERIC Aug. 10.

Virginia was a founding member of ERIC under former GOP Gov. Bob McDonnell. The elections department repeatedly hailed ERIC as a valuable tool.

“The data quality from the ERIC program is significantly better than other interstate exchange programs and any program that ELECT could operate in-house with existing resources," the department noted in its 2022 list maintenance report.

 

[Arcangl86]

Virginia in talks with Ohio, Florida, Texas in new voter fraud initiative​

Emails obtained using public records request show the states have the long-term goal of developing a centralized data sharing partnership to prevent voter fraud.​

The emails also hint that Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration was directly involved in Virginia's abrupt exit from [the centralized data sharing partnership that already exists], the Electronic Registration Information Center, commonly known as ERIC.

Many of the complaints cited by Virginia Commissioner of Elections Susan Beals in a May 11 letter announcing the state’s departure are also contradicted by talking points staff prepared for Beals several weeks before Virginia formally exited ERIC Aug. 10.

Virginia was a founding member of ERIC under former GOP Gov. Bob McDonnell. The elections department repeatedly hailed ERIC as a valuable tool.

“The data quality from the ERIC program is significantly better than other interstate exchange programs and any program that ELECT could operate in-house with existing resources," the department noted in its 2022 list maintenance report.

Wait, I'm confused. They left ERIC and are now trying to create what is essentially a new ERIC? Is that right?

 

[essentialsaltes]

Wait, I'm confused. They left ERIC and are now trying to create what is essentially a new ERIC? Is that right?

The new one will not have cooties.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Virginia in talks with Ohio, Florida, Texas in new voter fraud initiative​

Emails obtained using public records request show the states have the long-term goal of developing a centralized data sharing partnership to prevent voter fraud.​

The emails also hint that Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration was directly involved in Virginia's abrupt exit from [the centralized data sharing partnership that already exists], the Electronic Registration Information Center, commonly known as ERIC.

Many of the complaints cited by Virginia Commissioner of Elections Susan Beals in a May 11 letter announcing the state’s departure are also contradicted by talking points staff prepared for Beals several weeks before Virginia formally exited ERIC Aug. 10.

Virginia was a founding member of ERIC under former GOP Gov. Bob McDonnell. The elections department repeatedly hailed ERIC as a valuable tool.

“The data quality from the ERIC program is significantly better than other interstate exchange programs and any program that ELECT could operate in-house with existing resources," the department noted in its 2022 list maintenance report.

Remember when leaders in the Republican party tried to stifle the kooks instead of cow-towing to them?

Who thought we'd be longing for the return of Bill Buckley?

 

[B Griffin]

Press Release

Sounds like a necessary move to me.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Press Release

Sounds like a necessary move to me.

“One of my administration’s top priorities is protecting the integrity of Florida’s elections, which is why joining ERIC is the right thing to do for our state as it will ensure our voter rolls are up-to-date and it will increase voter participation in our elections,” said Governor DeSantis. [emphasis in original]

 

[essentialsaltes]

Wait, I'm confused. They left ERIC and are now trying to create what is essentially a new ERIC? Is that right?

Still trying.

Republican states swore off a voting tool. Now they're scrambling to recreate it​

Nine states — all Republican-led — have now withdrawn from ERIC.

They all left without a plan to replace it.

And now, experts and election officials are watching a scattershot effort on the right to essentially recreate what the system produced, with many players — both mainstream and fringe — throwing their hats in the ring to try to capitalize on the data void.

"These states have decided that instead of using a wheel, they're going to invent a spherical device that will allow them to easily transport and roll items from A to B," said Josh Daniels, a former Republican county clerk in Utah. "Political officials who made bad choices to exit ERIC now have to make up the difference by essentially reinventing ERIC but without the benefit of years of experience and a system that has improved over time."

"This is a major new development as states look to move beyond the old model of sharing voter data through an unaccountable third-party vendor [i.e. ERIC]," said Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, as he announced partnerships with Virginia, West Virginia and Florida.

Michael Morse, an election law professor at the University of Pennsylvania who has researched ERIC and voter registration, said the moment he noticed [these] states weren't sharing DMV data as part of these new agreements, he stopped taking the efforts seriously. That's a key difference from ERIC, and is important because that data typically contains both a person's driver's license and Social Security numbers.

One of the reasons ERIC took so long to develop and roll out is because getting state DMVs on board to share that data is complicated by specific privacy laws. But voter registration lists alone don't generally have enough unique identifiable information to confidently say a voter in one state is the same as one in another state.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Still trying.

Republican states swore off a voting tool. Now they're scrambling to recreate it​

Nine states — all Republican-led — have now withdrawn from ERIC.

They all left without a plan to replace it.

Still trying. Got nothing.

Is Texas breaking its own election law in 2024?​

Texas, along with eight other Republican-led states, abandoned the national, data-sharing program called ERIC, without a replacement yet.

As Texans head to the polls for the primary, Republican leaders have yet to replace the program with anything.

“I think that Republicans have really shot themselves in the foot here. They want to talk to you about dead voters. They want to talk to you about duplicate registration. They want to talk to you about out-of-state voters. Like this is the system we use to get those people off their list,” Jessica Huseman explained to us on Y’all-itics.

Huseman also tells us there’s a law in Texas that requires the state to participate in an information sharing program.

Since there’s no replacement in place for ERIC, the state could, technically, be breaking its own law.

 

[essentialsaltes]

From December 2023:

Documents show Republican-led states struggling to clean voter rolls after leaving ERIC​

Officials encounter new obstacles and costs in trying to replace just some of the data they used to get from the Electronic Registration Information Center, unreleased records show.​

 

[wing2000]

Still trying.

Republican states swore off a voting tool. Now they're scrambling to recreate it​

Nine states — all Republican-led — have now withdrawn from ERIC.

They all left without a plan to replace it.

And now, experts and election officials are watching a scattershot effort on the right to essentially recreate what the system produced, with many players — both mainstream and fringe — throwing their hats in the ring to try to capitalize on the data void.

"These states have decided that instead of using a wheel, they're going to invent a spherical device that will allow them to easily transport and roll items from A to B," said Josh Daniels, a former Republican county clerk in Utah. "Political officials who made bad choices to exit ERIC now have to make up the difference by essentially reinventing ERIC but without the benefit of years of experience and a system that has improved over time."

"This is a major new development as states look to move beyond the old model of sharing voter data through an unaccountable third-party vendor [i.e. ERIC]," said Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, as he announced partnerships with Virginia, West Virginia and Florida.

Michael Morse, an election law professor at the University of Pennsylvania who has researched ERIC and voter registration, said the moment he noticed [these] states weren't sharing DMV data as part of these new agreements, he stopped taking the efforts seriously. That's a key difference from ERIC, and is important because that data typically contains both a person's driver's license and Social Security numbers.

One of the reasons ERIC took so long to develop and roll out is because getting state DMVs on board to share that data is complicated by specific privacy laws. But voter registration lists alone don't generally have enough unique identifiable information to confidently say a voter in one state is the same as one in another state.

...so if I plan to vote multiple times, I should aim for these 9 states.... (JK).

 

[essentialsaltes]

...so if I plan to vote multiple times, I should aim for these 9 states.... (JK).