When it comes to voter registration in two states, for accused Planned Parenthood shooter Robert Lewis Dear, it’s a bit of a he-said-she-said.
A former voter with Dear’s same name and date of birth was registered as a male voter in South Carolina in 1991, records show.
Dear’s gender identity came into question when reports of his voter identification in Colorado referenced Dear as female.
The issue has already become part of the 2016 race for the White House. Ted Cruz, a U.S. senator from Texas who is running for president as a Republican, brought it up in Iowa while speaking to reporters Sunday.
From The Huffington Post:
When a reporter reminded the Texas senator that the suspect allegedly made a comment about “baby parts” while being arrested, Cruz countered, “It’s also been reported that he was registered as an independent and a woman and transgendered leftist activist, if that’s what he is.”
“We know that he was a man who was registered to vote as a woman,” Cruz also said, according to HuffPo. “The media promptly wants to blame him on the pro-life moment when at this point there is very little evidence to suggest that.”
Cruz’s comments came as news reports quoted Dear uttering the phrase “No more baby parts,” attributed to unnamed law enforcement officials.
Documents The Colorado Independent obtained from the South Carolina Elections Commission show a Robert Lewis Dear, same date of birth as the accused shooter, as a onetime registered male voter who has been inactive in that state since March of 1991.
Below is the voter information provided by the S.C. elections agency.
Dear’s Social Security number and location of registration are redacted. The location is protected by federal law and his Social Security number is protected by state law, an elections agency spokesperson said.
