The Trump administration recently launched a new presidential commission on Election Integrity — and tapped New Hampshire's Secretary of State Bill Gardner to help out. Now, the ACLU is pushing for more information on Gardner's involvement.
The ACLU filed a series of records requests with the Trump administration and other Secretaries of State slated to be on the commission — in New Hampshire, Kansas and Maine.
The New Hampshire request, addressed to Deputy Secretary of State Dave Scanlan, asks for emails and other documents related to Secretary of State Bill Gardner's role on the commission. It also asks for information on any changes in election law or guidance being proposed.
The ACLU also wants to know what, if any, evidence of voter fraud the commission finds, "including but not limited to documents supporting or rebutting the President's allegation that thousands of Massachusetts residents were bused to New Hampshire to cast ballots against him."
The New Hampshire ACLU criticized Gardner's decision to "lend his credibility to what appears to be a kangaroo commission" and expressed concerns that the panel would be used as an excuse to enact stricter voting rules.
In an interview with WMUR last Friday, Gardner disputed the notion that the commission would only focus on finding evidence of voter fraud. Gardner said he joined the commission because he wants to help address waning confidence in the nation's elections.
"I care a lot about this," Gardner told WMUR. "I’ve spent my whole life dealing with it, and it’s too bad that over half of the people in the country feel that there is vote fraud. Let’s find out why."
