By SCOTT BAUER
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Division sued three states and the District of Columbia on Thursday for not turning over requested voter info to the Trump administration.
The newest lawsuits have been filed towards Wisconsin, Illinois, Georgia and the District of Columbia. The Justice Division has now filed 22 lawsuits looking for voter info as a part of its effort to accumulate detailed voting information and different election info throughout the nation.
“We shared our nation-leading checklist upkeep practices and public voter roll information with the DOJ December 8 at their request, and we stay up for working collectively to eradicate the federal limitations that forestall even cleaner voter rolls,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger stated in a press release. “Hardworking Georgians can relaxation straightforward understanding this information was shared strictly in accordance with state legislation that shield voters’ privateness.”
The newest spherical comes one week after the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Fee voted towards the Justice Division’s request for the information. Each Republican and Democratic commissioners voiced considerations in regards to the request final week, saying it could be unlawful below Wisconsin legislation to offer the voter roll info that features the total names, dates of delivery, residential addresses and driver’s license numbers of voters.
Spokespeople for the Wisconsin Elections Fee and the state Division of Justice, which might defend the fee, didn’t instantly return messages. The Illinois State Board of Elections declined to remark.
An Related Press tally discovered that the Justice Division has requested at the least 26 states for voter registration rolls in latest months, and in lots of circumstances requested states for info on how they keep their voter rolls. Different states being sued by the Justice Division embody California, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
Final week, the Justice Division sued Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Nevada.
The Justice Division stated 10 states are both in full compliance or working towards it.
The Trump administration has characterised the lawsuits as a part of an effort to make sure the safety of elections, and the Justice Division says the states are violating federal legislation by refusing to offer the voter lists and details about ineligible voters.
The lawsuits have raised considerations amongst some Democratic officers and others who query precisely how the information will probably be used, and whether or not the division will comply with privateness legal guidelines to guard the knowledge. A number of the information sought consists of names, dates of delivery, residential addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Safety numbers.
“The legislation is obvious: states want to present us this info, so we will do our responsibility to guard Americans from vote dilution,” Assistant Lawyer Basic Harmeet Ok. Dhillon stated in a press release. “At this time’s filings present that no matter which celebration is in control of a specific state, the Division of Justice will firmly stand on the aspect of election integrity and transparency.”
Related Press writers Kate Brumback in Atlanta and John O’Connor in Springfield, Illinois, contributed to this report.
