The commission’s work so far has been unclear; even some commissioners have said they’re not exactly sure what the panel is working on. Friday’s disclosure is significant because it shows officials on the probe have contacted officials with the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice and the Social Security Administration ― which suggests the commission may be proceeding with a plan to compare the voter data it’s collected against federal databases….
The log also raises new questions about a controversial June 28 letter the commission sent out to all 50 states requesting voter information. In the week ahead of the letter’s release, Kobach and two other commissioners, Hans von Spakovsky and J. Christian Adams, exchanged emails about its contents. Von Spakovsky, Adams and Kobach are three of the most controversial picks for the commission, and critics of the probe say they intend to weaken confidence in American election systems and make it more difficult to vote. Von Spakovsky also emailed Adams, Kobach and Kossack about potential commission members.
“It appears that known vote-suppressors Kris Kobach, J. Christian Adams, and Hans von Spakovsky, worked together without the input of other commissioners to develop the unprecedented June 28th letter to state election officials seeking personal voter information,” Clarke said.