Before he came in to start the meeting, the president spoke briefly. This is just over two hours. Ladies and gentlemen, the Vice President of the United States. Good morning. Please be seated. On behalf of the first family, welcome to the white house. And welcome to the inaugural meeting of the president ial on electionmission integrity of the area of just over two months ago, may 11, President Trump signed an executive order to create a fairssion to help promote and honest federal elections, the foundation of our democracy. Toction Integrity Matters every american. Calvin coolidge reminded us that the whole system of American Government rests on the ballot box. President reagan declared that the right to vote was the crown jewel of american liberties. By establishing this commission, President Trump is taking action to ensure the ballot box remains inviolate and that the crown jewel shines brighter than ever before. At the president s direction, i will have the honor to Service Chairman of this commission and it is a privilege to convene this first meeting today. President trump knows that this transitions party lines and this committee has brought together a distinguished up a bipartisan officials at the federal, state and local level. This Bipartisan Group will perform a truly nonpartisan service to the American People. Toould especially like recognize our vice chairman, you you will hear more from after the president us remarks, a man whose long service has established him the president s remarks come a man Whose Service has established him. President trump knows that the principle of one person, one vote is foundational to the american system of democracy. This commission has been charged to study the registration and voting process as used in federal elections. The commission will identify the rules, laws, activities and practices that will enhance the American Peoples confidence and integrity in the electoral system. We will explore the vulnerabilities in our system that could lead to improper Voter Registration and even improper voting. Bes commission, let me clear, this commission has no preconceived notions or preordained results. We are factfinders. And in the days ahead, we will gather the relevant tax and data. And at the conclusion of our work, we will present the president a report of our findings. Im confident this commission will have a healthy and robust debate. The president and i expect the lap anything president and i expect nothing less. I am pleased to report the commission has already started its work, requesting publicly available data. We are grateful for the more than 30 states that have already indicated their intention to provide this in this information pursuant to the laws in their states. Today is the first of several meetings in several months. Of you brings a unique perspective based on your experience and your research and we welcome your participation and your insight. To note that are commission includes five current and former secretaries of state. Secretary cobo can i look forward to working with each of you to foster collaborative and respectful relationship for years relationship. As the committee begins its work, i would like to personally invite the American People to offer their Public Comments and input on our work, and the challenges and opportunities that face our electoral system can we want to hear the voice of the mac and voter. Thats really what this is all voice of the american voter. Thats really what this is all about. This is a president who care so deeply about the integrity of americas elections and the right of each and every american to see the sanctity of their vote protect it. Knows that the success of our democracy depends on the American Peoples confidence in this electoral system. And the president and i are both confident that this Bipartisan Commission will make the strongest democracy in the history of the world even stronger. With gratitude for his commitment to fair and honest elections, it is my high honor and distinct privilege to introduce to all of you the 45th president of the United States of america, president donald trump. Thank you very much. Please, be seated. Mr. Vice president , distinguished guests and members of the media, im honored to welcome you here today as the bipartisan president ial Advisory Commission on Election Integrity prepares to conduct its First Official meeting. Very, very important. This commission is tasked with the sacred duty of upholding the integrity of the ballot box, and the principle of one city sin one vote. Every time one citizen one vote. Any form of a illegal or fraudulent voting, whether by deceased, inr the any for and any form of voter or intimidation must be stopped. I am pleased that 30 states have already agreed to share information with the commission, and the other states that information will be forthcoming. If any state does not want to share this information, one has to wonder what they are worried about. And i asked the Vice President and the commission what are they worried about . There is something. There always is. This issue is very important to me because, throughout the campaign, and even after, people would, to me and expressed their concerns about voter inconsistencies and saw. Ularities, which they in some cases, having to do with very large numbers of people in certain states. All Public Officials have a profound responsibility to protect the integrity of the vote. We have no choice. We want to make America Great again . We have to protect the integrity of the vote and our voters. This is not a democrat or republican issue. It is an american issue. It is about the concern of so Many Americans that improper vote is taking place and canceling out the votes of lawful american citizens. That is why president Theodore Roosevelt once said it is the affair of every honest voter, wherever born, to see that no fraudulent voting is allowed anywhere. I want to thank Vice President pence for chairing the commission. I also want to thank kansas secretary of state brisco bok kobach first serving as vice chair. This is a Bipartisan Panel consisting of republican and Democratic Leaders and experts on voter integrity. I would like to personally thank each of our Panel Members for serving. Really do appreciate it. In addition to the chair and vice chair, this distinguished Bipartisan Panel includes indiana secretary of state conny , newon Connie Lawson hampshire secretary of state you, mainer, thank secretary of state matthew dunlop, former ohio secretary of blackwell, Election Assistance Commission or formere mccormick, Arkansas State representative david dunn, thank you, david, wood county, West Virginia clerk , Heritage Foundation senior legal fellow and manager of the election law reform ,nitiative, a real expert hansots perkowski perkowski. And alan king. Think you very much. Each of you has been entrusted with a great responsibility of helping to advance the cause of fair, honest and lawful elections. Your work will help protect our democracy. This will be a very transparent process. It will be very open for everybody to see. You will approach this important task with a very open mind and with no conclusions already drawn. You will fairly and objectively follow the facts wherever they may lead. I look forward to the findings and recommendations your report will produce. As soonare your report as i can and as soon as possible with the American People, so the full truth will be known and exposed if necessary in the light of day. We call on every state to give us full support and total cooperation in this effort. Most of them have really done brilliantly and we appreciate it. And the rest, all of that information will be forthcoming. Thank you very much, mr. Vice president. And chris, thank you. Panel, thank you very much. We appreciate it. Do a great job. [applause] thank you very much, mr. President. With that, ladies and gentlemen, it is my privilege to call the first meeting of the president ial Advisory Commission on Election Integrity to order. [gavel] our first order of business is to recognize each of our members and to make introductions and refer marks. And brief remarks. I would like to start with a few comments of my own in addition to the comments i made from the podium. First and foremost, let me commend each one of you for stepping forward to serve your country in this capacity. As you heard from the president , and from he earlier, we are truly grateful for your willingness to step forward. This is a Bipartisan Group that will perform a nonpartisan service to the American People. Executive our goal, as the executive order asserts, is to help promote free and honest federal elections. Our charge is to study the registration and voting process is used in federal elections. Earlier, andtioned our charge is to expose vulnerabilities in the system that could lead to improper voting registration and improper voting. Let me reiterate the point i made earlier, now that we are on the record. We have no preconceived notions or preordained results. Where thes to go facts lead and provide the president and the American People with a report that can be used to strengthen the American Peoples confidence in our electoral system. And as you heard the president and as you heard, the president looks forward to what we accomplish, and so do i. I look forward very much to hearing from each and everyone you. That president and i have a meeting scheduled soon after this with a number of senators. So my hope is that i will be able to hear from each and excusingof you before myself to hear from members of the United States senate on another matter. Im very grateful that you are here. We would like to ask that you limit your opening remarks to five minutes or less. There is a timer in the back. On thenow we can go honor system here with each one of you. And we appreciate your sensitivity. I would like to start by recognizing our distinct vice chair, the kansas secretary of state chris co. Bok chris koboch. You are recognized with the gratitude of this administration for your opening remarks. It is a great honor to serve as the vice chair of this commission. Most importantly, to share the information after the report is made to their president , to share it with the american public. This is a mission of the highest order. I have often thought that, at the very foundation of our republic, are really two bedrock things, the american constitution and the faith and reality that our elections are conducted fairly. If you take away either of those two things, i believe that our republic cannot stand for long. So for a long time, there has been lingering doubt among many america are americans about the integrity and fairness of elections. It is not a new issue at all. If you look at polling data, it goes back decades. Public opinion has been consistent and there is a substantial number of people who wonder whether our elections are. 2013 survey a indicated that 60 did not think so or were undecided. We only to the American People a hard, dispassionate look at the subject. Through our history, there have been episodes we may have learned of in school or in college of voter fraud. Those may have received a great deal of attention. And individual states from time to time may have investigated specific allegations of voter fraud or have done some specific investigation of voter fraud. For example, in my state of kansas, we are engaged in litigation right now litigating our proof of citizenship. It discovered 128 specific cases of noncitizens who either registered to vote or tended to register to vote. One expert estimated that the number could be in excess of 18,000 on our voter rolls. But there has never been a nationwide and no nationwide effort to do this. Will have then ability to find answers to questions that have never been fully answered before, and to conduct research that has never been conducted before. And that research will be buried. We respect the voters privacy and will not identify individual voters, but we will lay a factual findings and systematic problems that we can identify in our Electoral Systems. Those results, whatever they are, will be made public for their own conclusions from. In 2013, president obama established a president ial Election Commission and analyzed a problem reported in several states in the 2012 election, which was long lines at polling stations. When someone goes to a polling place and sees a line two blocks on, that person may decide that it is not worth it for me to stand in line and will drive home. Past mayions in the have been stolen. There is a chance that here she may decide that his vote is not likely to count or will be counterbalanced by the fraud and therefore decide not to vote in the case. These are both problems worthy of investigation and worthy of a president ial commission. In kansas, for the last 11 years, we hosted the interstate crosscheck system, in which 30 states participate. We annually compare our voter rolls to each other and find millions of people that are probable double registrations, where the same person is registered in more than one state. With that information, the participating states can begin the process of keeping their voter rolls accurate and uptodate. The steak and then contact the voters in question and, with the voters consent, remove them from the rolls from the state where he no longer resides. The program also develop sleeves, where it appears the person may have voted twice in the same election in two different jurisdictions. This program hosted by kansas and in 30 states illustrates how a successful multistate african be in enhancing the integrity of your elections in keeping our voter rolls accurate. Im confident that this commission will be equally successful on the national leaven. National level. The talent and expertise of my fellow members on the commission is truly impressive. Thank you all for giving your time and your energy to this endeavor. I am really looking forward to beginning our work together. Thank you. Thank you, mr. Secretary for your opening remarks and for your leadership on this commission. We look very much to working with you. I would like to recognize Connie Lawson for five minutes. Thank you, mr. Vice president. It really and truly is an honor for me to join the commission today. I want to thank President Trump for the chance to serve in this capacity. I am Connie Lawson, the indiana secretary of state. I also serve as president of the bipartisan National Association of secretaries of state. And in that role, i cochair the force. Ns agreed task my background is uniquely situated to the issue of voting processes and Election Administration. I served on the local level to terms as the Hendricks County clare, overseeing, after the 2011, the beginning of a mentor electronic voting and modernization of Voting Machines. I was very involved in the association becoming president well. Gislative chair as following my time in local office, i served 16 years as senator during that time, the entire 16 years, i was a member of the Senate Elections committee. I did become the majority for later in the indiana senate, i think as a result and my respect in that work. In 2012, a vacancy arose in the secretary of state position and i was elected to a full term 2014. It is an honor to be here with my distinguished fellow commissioners to discuss issues related to Voting Systems and processes around the country. With statewide elections in new jersey and virginia this year, and many more contests the following 2018, there is no better time to analyze how we can improve voter confidence and participation. It is important to create an accurate understanding of the 2016 cycle. I believe it is even more important for us to be discussing what lies ahead. This body has a great opportunity to outline constructive priorities as we begin our work. I would submit that one of the most important goals we have is improving the partnership between federal and state authorities for where concerned. Sues are for instance, i and other secretaries have been frustrated by attempts to communicate with the federal department of Homeland Security in the wake of their decision to designate election systems as critical infrastructure. Butsituation is improving, it doesnt help when i am still discovering facts about this decision through the media, rather than from the decisionmakers. I am hopeful we can address this issue going forward. While i was state senator, significant updates were made to federal and state election law. Among those was the help ameri