DURHAM, N.C. – Anita Earls, Executive Director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, issued the following statement after President Trump signed an executive order creating a commission to investigate unfounded claims of voter fraud in American elections:
“The integrity of American elections are routinely examined and those examinations have continually found that voter fraud is nearly non-existent. President Trump’s commission appears to be a fishing expedition that is likely to yield no more evidence of voter fraud, but yet predictable proposals that will lead to depriving eligible voters of their constitutional rights.
“A recent audit of the 2016 general election in North Carolina showed only one case of voter impersonation that might have been prevented if voter ID were required – that’s one vote out of 4.8 million votes cast. Further, there were many voters throughout the state who were wrongly accused of being ineligible to vote and dragged before county boards of election to defend themselves. It’s not hard to see how President Trump’s commission could further intimidate and discourage eligible voters from participating in our elections.
“We should be finding ways to get more eligible voters engaged and participating in our political system instead of creating a commission focused on closing the doors on Americans.”
