California Secretary of State Padilla calls President Trump's election commission a 'witch hunt'

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Alex Padilla, California's chief elections officer, criticized the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, which is investigating allegations of massive voter fraud.

Speaking on Newsmakers, Padilla said it is a pretext to rolling back voting rights, calling it a "witch hunt."

All 50 Secretaries of State got a letter this week from the commission, demanding all voter names, birthdays, the last four-digits of Social Security numbers, and voting history dating to 2006. The documents will be made available to the public.

Padilla is looking at legal options and has till July 14 to respond.

Padilla believes there is no evidence of Russian interference in California's November election, but if there is any proof, he wants it turned over for investigation. Padilla sent a sternly-worded letter to the National Security Agency director, Adm. Michael Rogers, asking if the NSA withheld security information prior to the election. Padilla said he hasn't gotten a reply. He said he has seen nothing to give the allegation any credibility in California, but he is now part of Homeland Security's election cyber security working group.

Padilla is advocating several ways to change how and when we vote in California.

He's in favor of the "Primetime Primary Act," which would move California's presidential primary to March from June. He explained the state has more voters than any other, yet we vote at the end of primary season when the race is decided.

The measure also allows the governor to move up the primary even earlier if other states move theirs.

The secretary of state wants to give voters choice in how they cast ballots. He wants every voter to be mailed a ballot -- and they could either return the ballot by mail or at any voting center, not just a neighborhood polling place. He would expand early voting to 11 days.

Padilla spoke in favor of a $450-million dollar bond voters may decide next year, which would modernize the state's outdated voting equipment.