A motion to intervene was filed on December 19, 2025, in the case of United States of America v. Griswold, seeking to prevent the Department of Justice (DOJ) from obtaining personal data of Colorado voters, according to a statement released by Common Cause.
The motion, filed in U.S. District Court, argues that a request by the DOJ for Colorado voters’ full names, dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers poses a threat to voter privacy and could lead to disenfranchisement. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold had previously provided only publicly available data in response to the DOJ’s request, declining to share more sensitive information protected by state and federal law.
Common Cause, along with three Colorado voters, is represented in the case by attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Colorado. Among the individual plaintiffs is Dr. Anne Keke, a naturalized citizen from Cote d’Ivoire who serves on the Aurora School Board, and Kyle Giddings, chair of the Colorado Common Cause Advisory Board, whose voting rights were restored in 2019 after completing a felony sentence. The inclusion of these individuals highlights concerns that certain groups may be particularly vulnerable to targeting if their personal data were to fall into the wrong hands, according to Common Cause.
“Handing this data over to the federal government violates the law and would put voters’ private information in the hands of dangerous election conspiracy peddlers,” said Aly Belknap, Colorado Common Cause Executive Director. “Common Cause is fighting to protect the rights of Colorado voters, and to prevent the potential misuse of their data.”
The intervention comes amid ongoing legal challenges related to election administration and voter access. In January 2024, Common Cause filed a brief before the U.S. Supreme Court urging the disqualification of Donald Trump under the 14th Amendment, according to a press release from the organization. A bill introduced in the U.S. House on February 6, 2026, as well threatens to alter election administration in states like Colorado that rely on mail ballots.
As of February 15, 2026, the DOJ has not publicly responded to the motion to intervene filed by Common Cause and the Colorado voters.
