Trump's voter fraud commission asked the public for comments. They're absolutely brutal.
The homepage for the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity Resources, aka Donald Trump's "voter fraud" commission, contains the following instruction:
"Any member of the public wishing to submit written comments for the Commission’s consideration may do so via email at ElectionIntegrityStaff@ovp.eop.gov. Please note that the Commission may post such written comments publicly on our website, including names and contact information that are submitted."
The committee was established in the wake of Trump's unsubstantiated claim that "millions" voted illegally in the 2016 election with the goal of investigating voter impersonation.
Trump with commission co-chair Kris Kobach. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images.
Between June 29 and July 11, the commission, chaired by Vice President Mike Pence and former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, received nearly 100 emails from voters.
True to their word, they posted them publicly — without redacting names or e-mail addresses.
Only four were supportive of the project.
The rest expressed fear, resentment, and opposition. Many bluntly. Some laced with profanity.
Turns out, many Americans aren't too thrilled about having their private information complied in a massive public database.
Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images.
"When you call the bank, do they ask for your full social or just the last 4?" one voter wrote, expressing concern over the form asking for part of his SSID number. "So if someone wanted access to my bank account information, the address, full name, DOB and last four social is EXACTLY what they would need."
Some took issue with the sketchy policy record of the comission's leaders.
"This commission is a sham and Kris Kobach has been put on it expressly to disenfranchise minority voters," a California voter replied. "I am ashamed that my taxpayer dollars are being used for such purposes.
Others argued that the commission should investigate Russian interference instead.
"What you should be addressing is the ability of foreign nationals to hack into our election servers and not only try to change the registrations but possibly change the actual vote," another wrote. "You should be worried about how each state secures the votes and the voter registrations."
One voter, who identified himself as a priest, blasted the effort as a vanity project for the president.
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.
"I have watched your activities in Kansas trying to suppress voters on the basis of fraudulent claims of massive voter fraud for which there is absolutely no evidence," he wrote. "Our new agency is preparing, it seems, to rig elections. You, sir, are the fraud and neither you nor our President are to be trusted. Mr. Trump's claims that millions of fraudulent votes were cast against him is the ravings of an egomaniac who can't stand to lose. I hope and pray that you fail."
Many were simply curt — and blunt.
"Does the term 'secret ballot' mean anything to you?" one wondered.
Dozens more voters wrote in.
Most were ... less civil.
Multiple studies have cast major doubt on the existence of widespread voter fraud.
Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images.
A review of 1 billion votes cast between 2000 and 2014 found only 31 verifiable cases of voter impersonation.
Meanwhile, an Civis Analytics analysis commissioned by Democratic Super PAC Priorities USA found Wisconsin's voter ID law may have reduced turnout by approximately 200,000 voters "disproportionally" hailing from communities of color.
Many Americans, it seems, have had enough of being misled.
Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images.
As of July 5, 44 states and Washington, D.C., have refused to turn over at least some voter information to the commission. More could do the same in the coming weeks.
"Your nonsense worked when it was in the dark," one voter wrote to the commission, "But you won't get away with this."
If the vast majority of those who wrote Kobach and Pence's team get their way, they won't indeed.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."