Executive Division PO. Box 12697 Austin, Texas 7871 1-2060 Phone: 512-463-5770 Fax: 512-475-2761 Dial 7-l-l For Relay Services Rolando B. Pablos Secretary of State February 2, 2018 Of?ce of the Attorney General Open Records Division PO. Box 12548 Austin, TX 78711 Sent via Hand Delivery Re: Request for records Dear General Paxton: On January 19, 2018, the Of?ce of the Secretary of State received a written request for information from Austin Evers (the ?Requestor?) under Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code (the (See Exhibit A.) The Of?ce asserts that certain information responsive to the Request is excepted from disclosure under the Public Information Act The Of?ce understands that certain information requested by the Requestor may be excepted from disclosure under Sections 552.103 and 552.107 of the Texas Government Code. Speci?cally, the Secretary invokes all of the exceptions provided by, and the exceptions incorporated into, Sections 552.101 through 552.156 of the PIA, including, without limitation, Sections 552.103 and 552.107 of the Texas Government Code. Pursuant to section 552.301(a) of the PIA, this letter is submitted in order to seek a decision as to whether the exceptions apply. To assist in your review, the Secretary will provide a brief of written comments and copies of, or a representative sample of, the responsive documents not later than the 15th business day form the date the request was received. Should you need additional information, please feel free to contact me at 512-475-2813. Sincerely, ls/ Lindsey Aston General Counsel cc: Austin R. Evers (via Electronic Mail) Encl. AM ER I CAN Exhibit A January 19, 2018 VIA MAIL Office of the Texas Secretary of State Elections Division General Counsel Division P.O. Box 12060 Austin, TX 78711-2060 elections@sos.texasgov Office of the Texas Secretary of State Office of the General Counsel P.O. Box 12887 Austin, TX 78711-2887 generalcounsel@sos.texas.gov Re: Public Information Act Request Dear Public Information Officer: Pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act, codified in the Texas Government Code at Chapter 552, American Oversight makes the following request for records. On November 13, 2017, Senator Claire McCaskill, on behalf of the US. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, sent a letter to Acting Administrator of the US. General Selvices Administration Tim Horne requesting documents related to the ?extent of involvement? with the Presidential Advismy Commission on Election Integrity (Commission), established on May 11, 2017 by Executive Order 13799.l The letter requested any responsive records related to role in helping the Commission with travel arrangements, complying with Federal Advisory Committee Act requirements, assisting with the purchase of voter data from the States, and providing a host of additional support selvices to the Commission? Sec- Letter from Senator Claire McCaskill to Tim Home, Acting Administrator of the US. General Services Administration (Nov. 18, 2017), [hereinafter Exec. Order No. 18,799 of May 11, 2017, 82 Fed. Reg. 22,889 (May 16, 2017). See McCaskz'l/Lerrer; at 2. 1030 15th Street NW, Suite B255, Washington, DC 20005 AmericanOversight.org On December 19, 2017, Mr. Home sent a letter accompanied by sixty-nine pages of records to Senator McCaskill.3 The responsive documents contain information on administrative support, services, staff, and equipment GSA provided to the Commission.? Among these documents are order forms to the States for their voter registration data." In particular, the order form for Texas?s voter registration data sent to the Office of the Secretary of State includes an invoice detail numbered 76226842 for ?Public Information - Statewide active/suspense/cancelled, Hispanic surname flag, voted in Gen Elec?s ?06, ?08, ?10, ?12, ?14, The fees amounted to $3,437.30. (Attached here as Exhibit A). American Oversight submits this request to shed light on involvement in providing support to the Commission, and the work carried out by the Commission with respect to collecting voter data from Texas. Requested Records American Oversight requests that the Of?ce of the Texas Secretary of State produce the following within ten business days: 1. All records re?ecting communications including emails, telephone call logs, calendar invitations/entries, meeting notices, meeting agendas, or other materials between any individual in the Office of the Secretary of State of Texas and any of the individuals listed below regarding the regarding the order submitted to the Office of the Secretary of State of Texas by the US. General Services Administration or the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity (Commission) for Texas statewide voter registration data: a) any individual at the US. General Services Administration (including anyone whose email address ends in @gsa.gov), or b) any staff of or members on the former Commission, including: Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States; Kris Kobach, Secretary of State for Kansas; Connie Lawson, Secretary of State of Indiana; Bill Gardner, Secretary of State of New Hampshire; Matthew Dunlap, Secretary of State of Maine; Ken Blackwell, former Secretary of State of Ohio; . Christy McCormick, Commissioner, Election Assistance Commission; arm asses 3 See Letter from Tim Home, Acting Administrator of the US. General Services Administration, to Senator Claire McCaskill, (Dec. 19, 2017), mccaskill [hereinafter Home Letteli. Sec Document Production, U.S. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION, *4?70 (Dec. 19, 2017), 5 See id. 2 8-0038 David Dunn, former Arkansas State Representative; ix. Mark Rhodes, Clerk of Wood County, West Virginia; x. Hans von Spakovsky, Senior Legal Fellow and Manager of Election Law Reform Initiative, Edwin Meese Center for Legal &Judicial Studies, Heritage Foundation; xi. J. Christian Adams, President and General Counsel, Public Interest Legal Foundation; xii. Alan King, Probate udge,]efferson County, Alabama; Luis Borunda, Deputy Secretary of State of Maryland; xiv. Andrew Kossack or any communications sent to or received from Please provide all responsive records from January 20, 2017, through the date the search is conducted. American Oversight seeks all responsive records regardless of format, medium, or physical characteristics. In conducting your search, please understand the term ?record? in its broadest sense, to include any written, typed, recorded, graphic, printed, or audio material of any kind. We seek records of any kind, including electronic records, audiotapes, videotapes, and photographs, as well as letters, emails, facsimiles, telephone messages, voice mail messages and transcripts, notes, or minutes of any meetings, telephone conversations or discussions. Our request includes any attachments to these records. No category of material should be omitted from search, collection, and production. In addition, American Oversight insists that the Office of the Texas Secretary of State use the most up-to-date technologies to search for responsive information and take steps to ensure that the most complete repositories of information are searched. American Oversight is available to work with you to craft appropriate search terms. However, custodian searches are still required; agencies may not have direct access to ?les stored in .PST ?les, outside of network drives, in paper format, or in personal email accounts. In the event some portions of the requested records are properly exempt from disclosure, please disclose any reasonably segregable non-exempt portions of the requested records. If it is your position that a document contains non-exempt segments, but that those non-exempt segments are so dispersed throughout the document as to make segregation impossible, please state what portion of the document is non-exempt, and how the material is dispersed throughout the document. If a request is denied in whole, please state speci?cally that it is not reasonable to segregate portions of the record for release. You should institute a preservation hold on information responsive to this request. American Oversight intends to pursue all legal avenues to enforce its right of access under Public Information Act, including litigation if necessary. Accordingly, the Of?ce of the Texas Secretary of State is on notice that litigation is reasonably foreseeable. 3 I 8-0038 To ensure that this request: is properly construed, that searches are conducted in an adequate but ef?cient manner, and that extraneous costs are not incurred, American Oversight welcomes an opportunity to discuss its request with you before you undertake your search or incur search or duplication costs. By working together at the outset, American Oversight and the Office of the Texas Secretary of State can decrease the likelihood of costly and time-consuming litigation in the future. Where possible, please provide responsive material in electronic format by email or in PDF or TIF format on a USB drive. Please send any responsive material being sent by mail to American Oversight, 1080 15th Street NW, Suite B255, Washington, DC 20005. If it will accelerate release of responsive records to American Oversight, please also provide responsive material on a rolling basis. Conclusion American Oversight is a 501(c)(8) nonprofit with the mission to promote transparency in govemment, to educate the public about government activities, and to ensure the accountability of government Officials. American Oversight uses the information gathered, and its analysis of it, to educate the public through reports, press releases, or other media. American Oversight also makes materials it gathers available on its public website and promotes their availability on social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter.6 We share a common mission to promote transparency in government. American Oversight looks forward to working with the Secretary on this request. If you do not understand any part of this request, have any questions, or foresee any problems in fully releasing the requested records, please contact Pooja Chaudhuri at foia@a.mericanovcrsight.org or 202.897.3918. Sincerely, Austin R. Evers Executive Director American Oversight Attachment: . Exhibit A Texas Voter Registration Data Order Form (Sept. 19, 2017) 5 American Oversight currently has approximately 11,800 page likes on Facebook, and 39,200 followers on Twitter. American Oversight, FACEBOOK, (last visited Jan. 19, 2018); American Oversight (@weareoversight), TWTITER, (last visited Jan. 19, 2018). 4 TXSOS-18-0038 Exhibit A Financial Division P.O.ltox 12887 Austin. Texas 78'? Of?ce ofthc Secretary Packing Slip September 2017 Kris L, Palmer ?300 Street NW Washington DC 20405 Batch Number: 76226842 Batch Date: 0949-20? Client to ii?) i 7 Rolando B. Pablos ol'Slute Page 1 ofl Return to Document Number Document Detail Fee 762263420002 Public Information - Statewide octive/suspense/cancelted, $3,437.30 Hispanic surname flog, voted in Gen lilcc?s '06, '08, '10. '12, '14, '16 Total Document Fees $3.437.30 Payment Type Payment Status Payment Reference Amount Credit Card Accepted $3,437.30 Total Payments Received $3,437.30 Total Amount Charged to Client Account $0.00 Total Amount Credited to Client Account $0.00 Any amount credited to Client Account may be refunded upon request. Refunds (il?applicoble) wiil be processed upon Request. Acknowledgement of Filing Doeuntent(s) (ifpresent) is attached. User It): AGROSSMAN Fame its on Me tint-x m1 3:3: Mn; I?K'nww in: .rmt'e (r rm Note: This is not [1 bill. Please do not send any until the statement is received. (501-1133 5555 ll?t' ?l?i-l 'l?liu Slain . 35"} itnirirnio is. Pablo"; ni? Sim-.3 20172159-20180011 September 15, 2017 Mr. Ron Williams Policy Adviser The Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity 1650 Avenue, NW. Washington. DC 20504 Total Records Extracted: 49,520,748 Extract Rate 5 328.13 Extract Charges: . 5 3,098.17 Total Records Extracted: 49,570,748 CD 5 11.00 Total Charges 5 3,437.30 Voter Data File: List of Registered Voters in Texas, in active, suspense and cancelled status, statewide, Hispanic surname flagged. Voting Histog: List of Registered Voters in Texas, in active, su5pense and cancelled status, statewide, Hispanic surname flagged, who voted in the General Elections of 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016. ‐‐‐‐‐Original Message‐‐‐‐‐  From: FN‐OVP‐Election Integrity Staff [mailto:ElectionIntegrityStaff@ovp.eop.gov]   Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2017 3:40 PM  To: Secretary   Subject: Letter from Vice Chair of Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity     Please see the attached letter from the Vice Chair of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, Kansas  Secretary of State Kris Kobach.     Thank you.      Commission Staff  1 TXSOS-18-0038-A-000001 June 28, 2017 The Honorable Rolando Pablos Secretary of State 1100 Congress Ave. Austin, TX 78701 Dear Secretary Pablos, I serve as the Vice Chair for the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity (“Commission”), which was formed pursuant to Executive Order 13799 of May 11, 2017. The Commission is charged with studying the registration and voting processes used in federal elections and submitting a report to the President of the United States that identifies laws, rules, policies, activities, strategies, and practices that enhance or undermine the American people’s confidence in the integrity of federal elections processes. As the Commission begins it work, I invite you to contribute your views and recommendations throughout this process. In particular: 1. What changes, if any, to federal election laws would you recommend to enhance the integrity of federal elections? 2. How can the Commission support state and local election administrators with regard to information technology security and vulnerabilities? 3. What laws, policies, or other issues hinder your ability to ensure the integrity of elections you administer? 4. What evidence or information do you have regarding instances of voter fraud or registration fraud in your state? 5. What convictions for election-related crimes have occurred in your state since the November 2000 federal election? 6. What recommendations do you have for preventing voter intimidation or disenfranchisement? 7. What other issues do you believe the Commission should consider? In addition, in order for the Commission to fully analyze vulnerabilities and issues related to voter registration and voting, I am requesting that you provide to the Commission the publiclyavailable voter roll data for Texas, including, if publicly available under the laws of your state, the full first and last names of all registrants, middle names or initials if available, addresses, dates of birth, political party (if recorded in your state), last four digits of social security number TXSOS-18-0038-A-000002 if available, voter history (elections voted in) from 2006 onward, active/inactive status, cancelled status, information regarding any felony convictions, information regarding voter registration in another state, information regarding military status, and overseas citizen information. You may submit your responses electronically to ElectionIntegrityStaff@ovp.eop.gov or by utilizing the Safe Access File Exchange (“SAFE”), which is a secure FTP site the federal government uses for transferring large data files. You can access the SAFE site at https://safe.amrdec.army.mil/safe/Welcome.aspx. We would appreciate a response by July 14, 2017. Please be aware that any documents that are submitted to the full Commission will also be made available to the public. If you have any questions, please contact Commission staff at the same email address. On behalf of my fellow commissioners, I also want to acknowledge your important leadership role in administering the elections within your state and the importance of state-level authority in our federalist system. It is crucial for the Commission to consider your input as it collects data and identifies areas of opportunity to increase the integrity of our election systems. I look forward to hearing from you and working with you in the months ahead. Sincerely, Kris W. Kobach Vice Chair Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity TXSOS-18-0038-A-000003 Lindsey Aston From: Sent: To: Subject: Lindsey Aston Friday, June 30, 2017 11:26 AM 'ElectionIntegrityStaff@ovp.eop.gov' Letter Received June 28, 2017 - Inquiry Hello,    I am the General Counsel at the Office of the Texas Secretary of State.  Might it be possible to speak to someone briefly  regarding the letter our Office received on June 28, 2017?  I can be reached at the number below.    Thank you,    Lindsey (Wolf) Aston  General Counsel  Texas Secretary of State  512‐475‐2813    1 TXSOS-18-0038-A-000004   From: FN‐OVP‐Election Integrity Staff [mailto:ElectionIntegrityStaff@ovp.eop.gov]   Sent: Monday, July 10, 2017 8:40 AM  Subject: Request to Hold on Submitting Any Data Until Judge Rules on TRO    Dear Election Official,    As you may know, the Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a complaint seeking a Temporary Restraining Order  (“TRO”) in connection with the June 28, 2017 letter sent by Vice Chair Kris Kobach requesting publicly‐available voter  data.  See Electronic Privacy Information Center v. Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity filed in the U.S.  District Court for the District of Columbia.  Until the Judge rules on the TRO, we request that you hold on submitting any  data.  We will follow up with you with further instructions once the Judge issues her ruling.     Andrew Kossack  Designated Federal Officer  Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity  ElectionIntegrityStaff@ovp.eop.gov     1 TXSOS-18-0038-A-000005 July 26, 2017 Office of the Secretary of State of Texas The Honorable Rolando Pablos, Secretary of State 1100 Congress, Room 1E.8 Austin, TX 78701 Dear Secretary Pablos, In my capacity as Vice Chair of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, I wrote to you on June 28, 2017, to request publicly available voter registration records. On July 10, 2017, the Commission staff requested that you delay submitting any records until the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled on a motion from the Electronic Privacy Information Center that sought to prevent the Commission from receiving the records. On July 24, 2017, the court denied that motion. In light of that decision in the Commission’s favor, I write to renew the June 28 request, as well as to answer questions some States raised about the request’s scope and the Commission’s intent regarding its use of the registration records. I appreciate the cooperation of chief election officials from more than 30 States who have already responded to the June 28 request and either agreed to provide these publicly available records, or are currently evaluating what specific records they may provide in accordance with their State laws. Like you, I serve as the chief election official of my State. And like you, ensuring the privacy and security of any non-public voter information is a high priority. My June 28 letter only requested information that is already available to the public under the laws of your State, which is information that States regularly provide to political candidates, journalists, and other interested members of the public. As you know, federal law requires the States to maintain certain voter registration information and make it available to the public pursuant to the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). The Commission recognizes that State laws differ regarding what specific voter registration information is publicly available. I want to assure you that the Commission will not publicly release any personally identifiable information regarding any individual voter or any group of voters from the voter registration records you submit. Individuals’ voter registration records will be kept confidential and secure throughout the duration of the Commission’s existence. Once the Commission’s analysis is TXSOS-18-0038-A-000006 complete, the Commission will dispose of the data as permitted by federal law. The only information that will be made public are statistical conclusions drawn from the data, other general observations that may be drawn from the data, and any correspondence that you may send to the Commission in response to the narrative questions enumerated in the June 28 letter. Let me be clear, the Commission will not release any personally identifiable information from voter registration records to the public. In addition, to address issues raised in recent litigation regarding the data transfer portal, the Commission is offering a new tool for you to transmit data directly to the White House computer system. To securely submit your State’s data, please have a member of your staff contact Ron Williams on the Commission’s staff at ElectionIntegrityStaff@ovp.eop.gov and provide his or her contact information. Commission staff will then reach out to your point of contact to provide detailed instructions for submitting the data securely. The Commission will approach all of its work without preconceived conclusions or prejudgments. The Members of this bipartisan Commission are interested in gathering facts and going where those facts lead. We take seriously the Commissions’ mission pursuant to Executive Order 13799 to identify those laws, rules, policies, activities, strategies, and practices that either enhance or undermine the integrity of elections processes. I look forward to working with you in the months ahead to advance those objectives. Sincerely, Kris W. Kobach Vice Chair Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity TXSOS-18-0038-A-000007 The State of Texas Elections Division PO. Box 12060 Austin, Texas 7811 1-2060 - xi Secreta of State For Intern at Use Only Receipt date: number: Phone: 512463-5650 Fax: 512-476-2811 Dial 7-1-1 For Relay Services (800) (8683) VOTER REGISTRATION PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST FORM Media must be completed: Media FTP Provide FTP information: FTP site: Login: Password: Format being provided Voter registration list (individual records) in zipped fixed width text file(s). See the attached record layout. Requester name: Ron Williams (required) Flaqqinq Options ONLY Hispanic surname flag notation . Voters mav be extracted bv Please checkmark all that apply to the request: Include Active Voters Include Suspense Voters Include Cancelled Voters I would like my data reduced to the followinq Please checkmark all that apply to the request: Only voters with Texas mailing address Only voters who are effective to vote between and dates Only voters between the age and Hispanic Surnames only Males only Females only Voters who Voted in the following Elections: Entire State Counties listed below only El El El Elections and Years: A "suspense voter" is a voter known to have an incorrect or outdated address. The county has sent the voter a term to obtain a new current address, not no response has been received. The voter is however, considered to be an active voter for voting purposes. if the entire state is requested, mark the space provided. if a district or county is requested, list the district number or county (write T?Aii? by the county name to indicate all precincts). Otherwise, for partial district, county or other requests, please list the county names and applicable precinct numbers. COUNTY or DISTRICT Check if entire State NOTE: For requests in addition to the options provided on this form, please email eiections?sos.texas.oov. as a data manipulation estimate may need to be provided for you. For Internal Use Only Date reviewed: EFM: Date processed: First Reviewer: Date reviewed: Second Reviewer: Completion date: 11.30.16 TXSOS-18-0038-A-000008 PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST FORM DETAILS AND INSTRUCTIONS Send Order to: Send Statement to: Ron Policy Advisor Kris L. Palmer, Program Analyst Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity General Services Admn?] istration 1650 Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20504 1800 Street, NW1 DC. 20405 02) 881?7807 02) 501-0525 Telephone (2 Telephone (2 Below are the procedures for filling out the attached Public Information Request form. Failure to adequately complete the form may cause incorrect information or coUId delay the processing of your order. . 1. Media Selection: CD-ROM or FTP. If selecting an FTP please provide FTP site, login and password information. 2. Format: Voter registration list (individual records) in zipped fixed width text file(s). See the attached record layout. 3. Extracts 8 Data Reduction? Options may be selected to select a limited group of voters. Additional extract requests may result in data manipulation, which would result in additional charges. Section 552.231 of the Texas Government Code requires that agencies send a written statement about the cost of potentially manipulating data to any requestor. Should it be determined that your request will require data manipulation, then a statement of the estimated cost of providing the information in the requested form will be supplied to you within the timeframe outiined in section 552.231. 4. in the area for county name(s) or District Number(s), please note the following: If the entire state is requested, mark the space provided. if a district or county is requested, list the district number .or county (write ?All? by the county name to indicate all precincts). Otherwise, for partial district, county or other requests, please list the county names and applicable precinct numbers. 5. The attached affidavit must be signed before a notary public. A $75.00 deposit must accompany each request. If the request is from a Member of the House or Senate, the Member must submit the request through the appropriate business office for approval of funds before submitting it to this office, unless the request is being paid for out of personal funds. will not be released andIor files will not be uploaded to the FTP until full payment is received. A complete address (No P. O. Box) must be provided along with a telephone number. The Secretary of State will furnish information not later than the 15th day after the date the request is received. (Texas Election Code, Section 18.066). Please retain a copy of this form for your records. Please include a $75.00 deposit fee with your request, made payable to the Secretary of State?s Office. The Secretary of State will furnish the information not later than the 15th day after the date the request is received. Your order will not be released until full payment is received. The attached affidavit must be signed before a notary public and accompany all requests. If you have any questions, please contact Elections Division at (512) 463?5650 or toll free at 1- (8683). TXSOS-18-0038-A-000009 Affidavit Before me, the undersigned authority, on this day personally appeared EM EE: .rE who being duly sworn, deposes and says: I do solemnly swear that the information obtained from the copy of the State Master Voter File will not be used to advertise or promote commercial products or services. riw? Signature Sworn to and Subscribe before me this the day of 2" E. fof the Staterof?fi?exas f} . as? as? Printed Name of Notary? i ?New. mu My commission Expires: f} PLEASE BE ADVISED 18.067. Unlawful Use of Master File Information A person commits an offense if the person uses information in connection with advertising or promoting commercial products or services that the person knows was obtained under Section 18.086. An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor. Acts 1985, 69th Leg, ch. 211, 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1988. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 884, 13, eff. Sept. 1997. Elections Division PO. Box 12060 Austin, Texas 738711-2060 Secretary of State VOTER REGISTRATEON PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST FORM For Intemal Use Only Receipt date: number: Phone: 512?463-5650 Fax: 5 151-475-2811 Dial 7-1-1 For Relay Services (800) (8683) Media must be completed: Media CD-ROM FTP - Provide FTP information: FTP ?site: Login: Password: Format being provided Voter registration list (individual records) in zipped fixed width text file(s). See the attached record layout. Voters may be extracted by Please checkmark all that apply to the request: Include Active Voters Include Suspense Voters Include Cancelled Voters I would like my data reduced to the followinq Please checkmark all that apply to the-request: Only voters with Texas mailing address Only voters who are effective to vote between and dates Only voters between the age and Hispanic Surnames only Females only Voters who Voted in the following Elections: Entire State El Counties listed below only El Males only El Requestor name: Ron Williams (required) Elections and Years: General Election (11l07l2006: 11m2rzc1c; 11l06l2012; 11l?4l2014; 11l08l2016} Flaqqinq Options ONLY Hispanic surname flag notation A "suspense voter" is a voter known to have an incorrect or outdated address. The county has sent the voter a form to obtain a new current address, not no response has seen received. The voter is however, considered to be an active voter for voting purposes. If the entire state is requested, mark the space provided. If a district or county is requested, list the district number or county (write "All" by the county name to indicate all precincts). Othenivise, for partial district, county or other requests, please list the county names and applicable precinct numbers. COUNTY or DISTRICT Check if entire State NOTE: For requests in addition to the options provided on this form, please email eiections?sos.texas.oov, as a data manipulation estimate may need to be provided for you. For Internal Use Only First Reviewer: Date reviewed: EFM: Second Reviewer: Date reviewed: Date processed: Completion date: 1 1 30.16 TXSOS-1 8-0038-A-00001 1 PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST FORM DETAILS AND INSTRUCTIONS Send Order to: Send Statement to: RonWilliams, Policy Advisor Kris L. Palmer, Program Anaiyst Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity General Services Administration 1550 Ave, NW, 268, Washington, DC 20504 1800 Street1 Washington, DC 20405 202 881 ?7807 02 501 -0525 Telephone Telephone (2 Below are the procedures for filling out the attached Public information Request form. Failure to adequately complete the form may cause incorrect information or could delay the processing of your order. 1. Media Selection: or FTP. If selecting an FTP please provide FTP site, login and password information. 2. Format: Voter registration list (individual records) in zipped fixed width text file(s). See the attached record layout. 3. Extracts Data Reduction? Options may be selected to select a limited group of voters. Additional extract requests may result in data manipulation, which would result in additional charges. Section 552.231 of the Texas Government Code requires that agencies send a written statement about the cost of potentially manipulating data to any requestor. Should it be determined that your request will require data manipulation, then a statement of the estimated cost of providing the information in the requested form will be supplied to you within the timeframe outlined in section 552.231. 4. In the area for county name(s) or District Number(s), please note the following: If the entire state is requested, mark the space provided. If a district or county is requested, list the district number or county (write ?Ali? by the county name to indicate all precincts). Otherwise, for partial district, county or other requests, please list the county names and applicable precinct numbers. 5. The attached affidavit must be signed before a notary public. A $75.00 deposit must accompany each request. if the request is from a Member of the House or Senate, the Member must submit the request through the appropriate business office for approval of funds before submitting it to this office, unless the request is being paid for out of personal funds. CD-ROM will not be released and/or files will not be uploaded to the FTP until full payment is received. A complete address (No P. O. Box) must be provided along with a telephone number. The Secretary of State will furnish information not later than the 15th day after the date the request is received. (Texas Election Code, Section 18.086). Please retain a copy of this form for your records. Please include a $75.00 deposit fee with your request, made payabie to the Secretary of State?s Of?ce. The Secretary of State will furnish the information not later than the 15th day after the date the request is received. Your order will not be released until full payment is received. The attached affidavit must be signed before a notary public and accompany all requests. If you have any questions, please contact Elections Division at (512) 463-5650 ortoll free at 1? (8583). TXSOS-1 8-0038-A-000012 Affidavit Warmer-rem Before me, the undersigned authority, on this day personally appeared Ron Williams - who being duly sworn, deposes and says: I do solemnly swear that the information obtained from the copy of the State Master Voter File will not be used to advertise or promote commercial products or services. "wmmu? 2? Signature Sworn to and Subscribe before me, this the ing day of $5ng )1 ,20 7 . 3%53 6 ?e {a gsrasa Ir0'1 538.. ray-r Printed Name of Notary? e" g. gs: My commission Expires: PLEASE BE ADVISED 18.067. Unlawful Use of Master File Information A person commits an offense if the person uses information in connection with advertising or promoting commercial products or services that the person knows was obtained under Section 18.066. An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor. Acts 1985, 69th Leg, ch. 211, 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg. ch. 864, 13, eff. Sept. 1, 1997. TXSOS-18-0038-A-000013 Financial Division 12887 Austin, Texas 7871 l-2887 Rolando B. Pablos Secretary of State Of?ce of the Secretaly of State Packing Slip September 19, 2017 Page 1 of 1 Kris Palmer 1800 Street NW Washington DC 20405 Batch Number: 76226842 Batch Date: 09-19-2017 Client ID: Return Method: Mail Document Number Document Detail Fee 762268420002 Public Information - Statewide active/suspense/cancelled, $3,437,30 Hispanic surname ?ag, voted in Gen Elec's '06, '08, '10, '12, ?14, '16 Total Document Fees $3,437.30 Payment Type Payment Status Payment Reference Amount Credit Card Accepted $3,437.30 Total Payments Received $3,437.30 Total Amount Charged to Client Account $0.00 Total Amount Credited to Client Account $0.00 Note: This is not a bill. Please do not send any payments until the statement is received. Any amount credited to Client Account may be refunded upon request. Refunds (if applicable) will be processed upon Request. Acknowledgement of Filing Document(s) (if present) is attached. User ID: AGROSSMAN Come visit on the Internet sos stale tx. us/ (512)463-5555 FAX (5l2)463-5709 TTY 7?l-l The State of Texas Executive Division P.O. Box 12697 Austin, Texas 78711-2697 Phone: 512-463-5770 Fax: 512-463-2761 Dial 7-1-1 For Relay Services www.sos.state.tx.us Rolando B. Pablos Secretary of State February 2, 2018 Austin Evers Pooja Chaudhuri American Oversight Sent via Electronic Mail Re: Request for records, received January 19, 2018 Dear Mr. Evers and Ms. Chadhuri: This letter responds to Mr. Evers’ request for information under the Public Information Act, Chapter 552, of the Texas Government Code (the “PIA”), which was received by the Office of the Texas Secretary of State (the “Office”) on January 19, 2018 and identified as TXSOS-180038. Please see attached certain documents responsive to the request. Please note that the Office asserts that other information responsive to the request is protected from disclosure under Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code. The Office is requesting a decision from the Texas Attorney General as to whether certain information may be withheld. In addition, some of the information responsive to the request is already subject to previous determinations that it may be withheld. Also, please note that the responsive information contains access device information, which has been, and may be redacted without obtaining a determination from the Office of the Attorney General. Specifically, in addition to a client ID number, the information you requested contains a credit card, debit card, charge card, or access device number that is collected, assembled, or maintained by or for a governmental body. This information is confidential under section 552.136 of the Texas Government Code. Our office is prohibited by law from releasing this information to you, and therefore we have removed this information from the enclosed information we are providing to you. Normally, we must request a ruling from the Texas Attorney General before we can withhold any of the information you requested. However, section 552.136 allows us to withhold this specific information without requesting a ruling from the attorney general. You have the right to appeal our decision to withhold this information from you. Instructions for appeal are at the end of this letter. If you do not want to appeal, you do not need to do anything else. Please note that we are only withholding the specific categories of information that are confidential under section 552.136, and the other types of information referenced in the attached request for decision from the Texas Attorney General. We will process the rest of your request for information in accordance with the terms of the Public Information Act. See also OR2012-06701-A. NOTICE PURSUANT TO SEC. 552.301 As indicated above, this letter provides you with notice that the Secretary of State has requested a decision from the Texas Attorney General, regarding whether certain information relating to your request may be withheld under Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code. Enclosed is a copy of the request for decision from the Texas Attorney General. If you have any questions or need any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact our office at (512) 463-5770. Sincerely, /s/ Lindsey Aston General Counsel Office of the Texas Secretary of State GeneralCounsel@sos.texas.gov Enclosures How to appeal the withholding of information under Gov’t Code section 552.136 If you wish to appeal the withholding of information discussed on the previous page, you must send the following to the attorney general: 1) a signed, written statement indicating your wish to appeal the withholding of information; 2) the name of the governmental body that withheld information from you; 3) the date you made your original request for information; and 4) a copy of your original request for information, or if you are unable to provide a copy, a description of your original request for information. You may also submit written comments stating why you think the information should be released to you, but you are not required to do so. Send your appeal by mail to the attorney general at: Open Records Division P.O. Box 12548 Austin, Texas 78711-2548 Within forty-five business days after receiving all of the above-listed items necessary to file your appeal, the attorney general will issue a written ruling on the matter. You will receive a copy of this ruling in the mail.