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Virginia Lawmakers' Differing Views on Trump's Voting Commission

AP Photo / Orlin Wagner, File

President Donald Trump is backing up his unfounded claim that millions of illegal votes were cast for his opponent with a commission to investigate voter fraud. Washington correspondent Matt Laslo reports that many lawmakers from our region are dubious of the commission, and some Republicans wonder if it's a top priority.

The Vice President and other top Republican officials are investigating voter fraud. They sent a request to states for sensitive voter data, much of which can be purchased in the Commonwealth. But even many Republican governors rebuffed the request.

While the White House rescinded that request as it's challenged in the courts, Virginia Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly says it’s a sham commission to begin with.

The whole premise is of course phony; made up to feed the ego of Mr. Trump who cannot accept the fact that he got elected as a minority president

“I mean talk about alternate facts and fake news. The whole premise is of course phony; made up to feed the ego of Mr. Trump who cannot accept the fact that he got elected as a minority president, losing almost three million more votes to his opponent than himself.”

Virginia Democratic Congressman Bobby Scott says the commission is aimed at voter "suppression."

“The purpose obviously is not to make the voting process any more secure. The first thing that they'll be sure to be looking at is hacking into voter rolls. There's public reports that Russia had gotten into the voter rolls, and that ought to be the first thing that we ought to be looking at, not some made up idea that millions of people cast illegal votes.”

Scott says the refusal to make the voting commission bipartisan is telling.

“And then if you just look at the leadership of the commission, not only is it based on a premise that makes no sense, but you have partisan leadership. You have the Vice President, a Republican, and a Republican from Kansas who is, according to reports, an active candidate for the Republican nomination for governor.”

But Virginia Republicans see things differently. Congressman Tom Garrett is a former prosecutor and says he’s debated this issue since his days in Richmond.

“There are fraudulent votes cast. I know it. It was very frustrating to stand in the Chamber of the Virginia Senate and hear people say, 'There are no voter fraud cases ever proven.' And then stand up and say, ‘No, I’ve prosecuted four accounts. Successfully.’”

Garrett says the commission’s goal is honorable, even if they made a misstep by requesting sensitive voter data. 

“So we know it’s real; we don’t know the scope and scale. I do think perhaps there was an overreach as it relates to the data requested. I think legislatively we can direct the states to manage the voter rolls within the purview of the federal government constitutionally in a manner such that we can ensure cleaner rolls.”  

Virginia Republican Scott Taylor says the voting commission isn’t a priority for him and many in his party.

So we know it's real; we don't know the scope and scale

“I think if it’s their prerogative to try to figure out if there is in fact an issue with voter fraud in certain states, I don't see a big issue with it. I get the politics with it, that you know it's like the President wants to say that he won the damn popular vote. I don't give a s*** about that.”

But Taylor says if the commission finds voter fraud then so be it.

“If you shouldn't be voting, you shouldn't be voting, you know what I mean? So I think there's some common sense in here as well too. So if you take all of the politics out of this, I think it's important for states to protect the privacy of their citizens.”

When the commission kicked off its first meeting, its chair and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach cited 128 cases of alleged voter fraud found in his state to justify the effort and attention. It's slated to issue a report next year which makes it less likely any proposed changes it suggests would be in place in time to affect next year's mid-term elections.

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association

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