DOJ Sues Minnesota in Dispute Over Voter Roll Data
ST.PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against Minnesota on Thursday,escalating a months-long dispute over the stateS refusal to provide sensitive voter data. The lawsuit seeks to compel Minnesota to hand over voter information, including full names, dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers.
The DOJ asserts it requires the data to assess Minnesota’s compliance with federal elections law. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon contends there is no legal basis for the DOJ’s demand. The two offices have been at odds since July, when Simon’s office initially rebuffed the request, stating it could not “identify any legal basis” for it and citing concerns about how the data would be used, stored, and secured.
“Clean voter rolls are the foundation of free and fair elections,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “Every state has a duty 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.”
Simon has characterized the DOJ’s request as “sweeping” and concerning, stating, “This is not normal…This is a sweeping request for very personal, very private data on millions of Minnesota voters.” He added that the DOJ did not disclose its consideration of transferring the data for use in criminal and immigration-related investigations, a revelation reported by Reuters earlier this month, which he called “telling and disappointing.”
the case will now proceed in court, where judges will determine the legality of the DOJ’s request.
