Iowa Secretary of State Says DOJ Voter Data Transfer Was Required by Federal Law
Iowa has turned over voter registration data to the U.S. Department of Justice, including sensitive personal information such as driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers, Secretary of State Paul Pate announced Tuesday.
Pate said Iowa complied after his office and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office determined the state was legally obligated to provide the data. He said the information was securely transferred and that DOJ assured the state it would be protected under federal law.
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The move places Iowa inside a broader national fight over federal access to voter rolls. The Justice Department has sought statewide voter registration data from many states, saying accurate voter rolls are necessary for election integrity.
The practical consequence is clear: a state-run election file containing private voter identifiers is now in federal hands, intensifying the debate over election enforcement, voter privacy, and who controls voter-list maintenance.
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