Overview

• The Justice Department sent Aug. 13–14 letters seeking statewide voter files with driver’s license numbers and last-four Social Security digits to assess compliance with federal voter-list maintenance laws.
• Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt rejected providing the full database, offered the standard redacted file, and said state law bars releasing sensitive fields while also correcting DOJ readings of federal survey data.
• Nevada’s secretary of state called the demand for personally identifiable information on 2.1 million voters unprecedented in scope and urgency and said the office needs more time to review its legality.
• Minnesota declined a renewed request after an Aug. 13 letter warned of possible legal action, with officials calling the push unprecedented in scope and timing and questioning DOJ’s statutory basis.
• At least 15 states have received similar requests, according to the Associated Press, with no state fully complying as voting-rights advocates and legal experts raise privacy and legal concerns.