Federal courts rule on access to state voter registration records

A federal judge has dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit seeking access to confidential voter registration records in Utah. U.S. District Judge David Barlow ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1960 does not authorize the federal government to demand unredacted data, such as driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers, which Utah Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson had withheld to protect voter privacy. The Justice Department has announced its intention to appeal the decision.

In a separate legal matter, the Public Interest Legal Foundation has filed a federal lawsuit challenging Oklahoma’s Senate Bill 1086. The nonprofit argues the law discriminates against out-of-state residents by restricting access to the state’s voter registration list to Oklahoma residents, U.S. citizens, political candidates, or party officials. The foundation claims the law violates the National Voter Registration Act and the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause by impeding its ability to fact-check voter rolls.