The legal battle over access to voter data intensifies as the U.S. Justice Department initiates lawsuits against six additional states. This move is part of an extensive federal effort to ensure compliance with voter roll maintenance requirements, but it has been met with resistance over privacy concerns.
The states of Michigan, California, Minnesota, New York, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania are the latest to face legal action from the Justice Department. This follows previous lawsuits against Oregon and Maine, highlighting a broader campaign to scrutinize voter registration practices nationwide. This scrutiny is rooted in the Justice Department’s demand for comprehensive voter information, which has sparked controversy due to privacy issues.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi emphasized the importance of maintaining current and accurate voter rolls, stating, “Clean voter rolls are the foundation of free and fair elections. Every state has a responsibility to ensure that voter registration records are accurate, accessible, and secure — states that don’t fulfill that obligation will see this Department of Justice in court.”
The recent lawsuits focus on states governed predominantly by Democrats, with New Hampshire as the exception under Republican leadership. The Associated Press reports that the Justice Department has reached out to at least 26 states, requesting voter registration information and details on their voter roll maintenance processes.
Some states have complied by sending redacted public versions of their voter lists, while others have refused, citing state laws or the department’s failure to meet federal Privacy Act requirements. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon asserted that Minnesota’s elections are “fair, accurate, honest and secure,” arguing that the federal agency has not justified its entitlement to the data.
California’s Shirley Weber criticized the Justice Department’s demands as lacking legal backing and precedent, and Pennsylvania’s Al Schmidt labeled the requests as “unprecedented and unlawful.” These states argue that sharing such detailed voter data violates both state and federal laws.
According to the lawsuits, the Justice Department claims that withholding full voter information and incomplete explanations regarding voter roll upkeep impede their ability to verify state compliance with federal statutes.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson indicated that her state has provided publicly accessible voter data but refused to disclose personal details of over 8 million residents, citing legal protections. She described the department’s actions as an “illegal and unconstitutional power grab.”
There is concern among election officials about the Justice Department’s lack of constitutional authority to manage elections, a power reserved for states and Congress. Some officials speculate that the federal interest in voter data may involve efforts to identify noncitizens on electoral rolls.
In a show of solidarity, election officials from states like Michigan and Nevada have pledged to collaborate in resisting the federal data requests.
—
Read More Michigan News
