WASHINGTON, D.C. (WCHS) — Another five states are facing a lawsuit after they refused to produce voter rolls to the United States Department of Justice, prosecutors said.
West Virginia and Kentucky are two of those states, joining Oklahoma, Utah and New Jersey in the newest bout of lawsuits, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Department of Justice’s total voter roll lawsuits to now nears 30 states, as well as the District of Columbia, the release said.
“Accurate, well-maintained voter rolls are a requisite for the election integrity that the American people deserve,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in the release. “This latest series of litigation underscores that this Department of Justice is fulfilling its duty to ensure transparency, voter roll maintenance and secure elections across the country.”
“The Justice Department will continue to fulfill its oversight role dutifully, neutrally and transparently wherever Americans vote in federal elections,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division added. “Many state election officials, however, are choosing to fight us in court rather than show their work. We will not be deterred, regardless of party affiliation, from carrying out critical election integrity legal duties.”
Nearly all states were requested to provide election records and data to the DOJ, including voter registration lists complete with driver’s licenses, dates of birth, addresses and Social Security numbers. According to the release, the lawsuit claims that Bondi has broad authority to request such information under the Civil Rights Act of 1960 to ensure voter rolls are accurate.
A few weeks ago, West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner denied Bondi’s request, citing the privacy of Mountain State voters.
“West Virginians entrust me with their sensitive personal information,” Warner stated on Feb. 11. “Turning it over to the federal government, which is contrary to state law, will simply not happen. State law is clear: voter lists are available in a redacted format from my office, but I’ll not be turning over any West Virginian’s protected information.”
Warner’s denial of records came just one day after a federal judge dismissed a Michigan lawsuit on the matter, citing that forcing disclosure of sensitive voter information “would potentially cause the statute to impose an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote guaranteed by the First Amendment.”
Learn more about West Virginia elections here.