DOJ Loses Wisconsin Voter Data Lawsuit as Courts Reject Push for Unredacted Records
A federal judge in Wisconsin has dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit seeking access to the state’s unredacted voter registration list, marking another court defeat for the federal government in a widening fight over voter data and election privacy.
U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson ruled that Wisconsin’s voter registration list is not the kind of record the federal government can demand under Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960. The order denied the DOJ’s motion to compel and closed the case.
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The ruling matters beyond Wisconsin. The Justice Department has sought voter files from nearly every state and has sued 30 states and Washington, D.C., according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Eight cases have now been dismissed.
The dispute centers on whether federal election enforcement authority can reach sensitive voter data, including driver’s license information and partial Social Security numbers, that state officials say is protected by privacy laws.
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