In direct response to the White House’s not-so-subtle voter suppression scheme, the DNC took action to protect the integrity of our democratic process by creating the Commission on Protecting American Democracy from the Trump Administration on Wednesday.  Reporting and previous investigations have already shown that Trump’s cries of nation-wide voter fraud carry no weight, and the DNC aims to shed more light any attempts to keep Americans out of the voting booth.  The President’s baseless claims are nothing but a dangerous threat to democracy, and need to be recognized as such.

The Trump-Kobach voter suppression commission has been widely reported has having questionable-at-best grounds for launching an investigation:

USA Today: “Earlier this month, Trump announced a commission led by Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state who has advocated for some of the strictest voter identification laws in the nation. The group, expected to issue a report next year, grew out of Trump’s unproven claim that millions of undocumented ‘illegals’ voted for his Democratic competitor, Hillary Clinton, depriving him of winning the national popular vote. The claim has been repeatedly disproven by fact checkers.”

New York Times: “But in Kansas, the facts appear at best mixed, and critics say [Kris Kobach] is one of the most partisan and polarizing figures imaginable to preside over a fair inquiry on voter fraud.  Since taking office in 2011, he has persuaded the Kansas Legislature to enact some of the nation’s most rigorous voting restrictions and to give him special authority to enforce them. The result has been a campaign against supposedly unchecked voting fraud, particularly by immigrants.”

Huffington Post: “Voting rights groups condemned the commission, saying it was an effort to distract from Trump’s decision to abruptly fire FBI Director James Comey amid its investigation into alleged ties between Trump and Russia, and possible Russian interference in the 2016 election.  Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice, called the commission a ‘sham and distraction’ in an effort to try and find proof of the president’s ‘absurd’ voter fraud claim.”

This sham of an investigation is a solution in search of a problem—multiple investigations into widespread voter fraud have already been conducted and shown that Trump’s search will turn up empty:

Huffington Post: “The commission won’t be the first federal effort to examine voter fraud. Under then-President George W. Bush, the Department of Justice spent five years looking at voter fraud after similar allegations that it was widespread and found just 120 people had been charged and that 86 had been convicted.”

Washington Post: “A recent investigation in North Carolina by the State Board of Elections found that of the 4.8 million voters who participated in last year’s election, 508 were not eligible to vote.  The North Carolina board said not every instance noted in the report was necessarily voter fraud because in many cases there was no intent to do anything wrong. In one case, local prosecutors have already decided not to bring charges.”

Staying true to the promises made by Tom Perez during his campaign, the DNC remains steadfast in its pledge to protect and strengthen voting rights for every citizen:

The Nation: “To counteract the Trump administration’s ‘election integrity’ commission, the Democratic National Committee is launching a new Commission on Protecting American Democracy from the Trump Administration. While the Trump commission plans to focus on so-called ‘fraudulent voting,’ the DNC says its commission will debunk the myth that voter fraud is widespread, document the impact of voter suppression efforts in the 2016 election, and propose solutions to expand voting rights.”

USA Today: “Consistent with a pledge made during his campaign, the newly minted chair is also reorganizing the DNC to embed multiple voting-rights experts into several departments, including the communications and political units, to flag early problems and to go on the offense.”

Huffington Post: “Former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander is set to lead the DNC’s effort.  In a statement, Kander accused Trump of trying to tweak the electoral system to his advantage.  ‘Trump’s presidency has already been a disaster, and he knows that the only way he’s going to win again in 2020 is if he tips the scales in his favor,’ he said. ‘His commission is meant to pave the way for restrictive laws that will allow Republicans to win elections. It’s wrong, it’s a danger to democracy and we’re not going to let it happen.’”