By Anna Wilder

COLUMBIA — The S.C. Election Commission has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to turn over a detailed version of the state’s voter registration list, giving the Trump administration the individual identification links it has sought for months.

During a public meeting April 28, commission members voted 4-1 to turn over state data such as names, dates of birth, the last date residents voted and the last four digits of the voter’s Social Security number, among other information. The only “no” vote came from Joanne Day, who said she had constitutional concerns about the matter but wouldn’t comment further.

According to the agency, the signed memorandum of understanding permits the DOJ “to review South Carolina’s data to identify potential cases of ineligible or non-citizen individuals on the state’s voter rolls and provide that information to South Carolina for further review.”

After the sharing agreement was announced, a spokesperson for the League of Women Voters said the group has not had a chance to review the memorandum of understanding, but its members “are aware those representing the state in discussions with the DOJ have been very diligent in seeking an agreement that protects South Carolina’s voters as required by the state’s law.”

“The information available to us suggests that those efforts were successful,” Lynn Teague, spokesperson for the organization, wrote via text.

 Under the agreement, the DOJ will send information on individuals it believes may be voting illegally, and it will be up to South Carolina to determine whether those names should be removed.

“We do not remove anybody matter-of-factly. We will have the chance to review to make sure we’ve looked at some of their test data from before,” Belangia said.

Read the full article at the link agove. 

~ Lynn S. Teague is the vice president for issues and action of the League of Women Voters of South Carolina.