Mississippi To Bogus ‘Election Integrity’ Commission: Jump In The Gulf Of Mexico

Republican Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann recalls some of the successes of his office during a reelection campaign speech Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015, at Hobnob, a casual gathering sponsored by the state chamber of ... Republican Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann recalls some of the successes of his office during a reelection campaign speech Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015, at Hobnob, a casual gathering sponsored by the state chamber of commerce, the Mississippi Economic Council, in Jackson, Miss. Many of the major candidates for statewide elected office addressed the group. The general election is next Tuesday. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) MORE LESS
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Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann (R) didn’t mince words in his response to calls for all 50 secretaries of state to hand over sensitive voter information to President Donald Trump’s bogus “election integrity” commission: “Jump in the Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi is a great State to launch from.”

Hosemann said in a statement Friday that his office hadn’t actually received the commission’s request for data — including the last four digits of voters’ Social Security numbers, military status, felony convictions and overseas citizen information.

But, he said, “[i]n the event I were to receive correspondence from the Commission […] My reply would be: They can go jump in the Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi is a great State to launch from.” 

“Mississippi residents should celebrate Independence Day and our State’s right to protect the privacy of our citizens by conducting our own electoral processes,” he added.

A spokesperson for South Dakota’s Republican Secretary of State, Shantel Krebs, similarly told the Associated Press that the state “will not share voter information with the commission.”

A growing number of states have rejected the commission’s request outright, or said they will provide only publicly available information to the commission. 

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