A Connecticut voter has joined a federal lawsuit against the Department of Justice to prevent it from accessing voters’ personal data from the nonpublic voter file.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut announced in a statement this week that it has filed to join in United States of America v. Thomas on behalf of a Connecticut resident. The suit was filed after the DOJ asked Connecticut to turn over voters’ full names, driver’s license numbers, partial Social Security numbers, and other highly sensitive data.
The ACLU Voting Rights Project, known as Common Cause, has worked with voters who say the DOJ’s request threatens voter privacy. Common Cause Vice President of States Heather Ferguson said privacy laws are in place to protect people and their data.
“Handing personal data over to the federal government would put voters at risk and could result in eligible voters being denied their right to participate in a major election year. Common Cause is fighting to protect the rights of Connecticut voters and to prevent the potential misuse of their data,” Ferguson said.
Last month, the DOJ requested that Connecticut turn over voters’ information, which the state declined to do, citing federal law. The DOJ requested information on full names, dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers — all data that is protected under state and federal law. The DOJ then filed a lawsuit against Connecticut’s Secretary of State, Stephanie Thomas, in order to obtain this information.
ACLU advocates say the request threatens voter privacy and enables voter disenfranchisement. Advocates are concerned about the potential for voters' sensitive personal information to be weaponized to intimidate them into not voting. ACLU Staff Attorney Will Hughes said voters should not have to worry that their most sensitive personal information is accessible to the federal government.
“There is no good reason for the DOJ to be asking for Social Security numbers and driver’s license data, and doing so puts people at risk. We’re stepping in to make sure voters’ privacy is protected and that people don't feel they have to make sacrifices to participate in our elections,” Hughes said.
The initial lawsuit was filed in Nebraska to protect voter data. The ACLU has intervened in the DOJ lawsuit by adding several states to the case to protect sensitive data in those jurisdictions. The other states include Arizona, Colorado, Hawai’i, Maryland, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Georgia and Washington, DC.
