Additional Coverage:
- DOJ sues 6 states for not providing private voter data (thehill.com)
The Department of Justice (DOJ) initiated lawsuits against six states on Thursday, including California and New York, over their alleged failure to provide sensitive voter data requested by the federal agency.
Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized the DOJ’s stance in a statement, asserting, “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.”
Beyond California and New York, the DOJ also filed suits in federal courts against Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania.
This move by the DOJ comes amidst heightened political tensions, unfolding hours before a federal grand jury indicted former FBI Director James Comey. The timing also coincides with President Trump’s ongoing public pressure on Attorney General Bondi and other department officials to pursue his political adversaries.
The Department is seeking access to detailed voter information from state election officials, including birth dates, names, partial Social Security numbers, and driver’s license numbers. The DOJ maintains that states are in violation of federal law if they do not comply with these requests.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon (D) issued a strong rebuttal, stating, “We have been very clear with the DOJ about our position that state and federal law do not allow our office to provide them with private voter data unless they provide information about how the information will be used and secured.” Simon emphasized that his office has met all deadlines and provided detailed responses to DOJ inquiries since June, while also requesting “additional assurances” for the protection of Minnesotans’ personal information. “The DOJ remained silent – providing no information about how the data would be protected or used,” Simon added, expressing disappointment that the department “chose to file a lawsuit” instead.
These new lawsuits follow similar actions taken earlier this month against Maine and Oregon, which the DOJ also sued for failing to provide their voter registration lists.
According to an Associated Press tally, the DOJ has requested voter registration rolls, and in some instances details on their maintenance, from at least 26 states in recent months.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, reiterated the department’s justification: “Clean voter rolls protect American citizens from voting fraud and abuse, and restore their confidence that their states’ elections are conducted properly, with integrity, and in compliance with the law.”
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- DOJ sues 6 states for not providing private voter data (thehill.com)