Today, the League of Women Voters of Minnesota, Common Cause, and two Minnesota voters filed a motion to intervene in United States of America v. Simon. This lawsuit was brought by the Department of Justice in an unlawful attempt to force Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon to turn over extensive and protected Minnesota voter information to the federal government. The organizations are represented by the ACLU and the ACLU of Minnesota.
The case is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to compel states to turn over their full voter registration databases, including sensitive personal information such as a voter’s full name, data of birth, address, partial social security and driver’s license numbers.
DOJ seeks to use this data to create an unprecedented and unauthorized national voter database. The federal government has no authority to generate such a database.
Reporting indicates that DOJ intends to share the collected voter data with the Department of Homeland Security to support criminal and immigration investigations.
“I joined this motion to intervene in USA v. Simon to defend and protect the data of myself and other Minnesotans, specifically justice-impacted individuals who just regained their right to vote,” said Jennifer Compeau, a Minnesota voter. “Many of us fought hard to regain the right to vote and we shouldn't have to risk our privacy to use it.”
“When Minnesotans register to vote, they trust that their government at all levels will keep their personal information safe and private,” said Amy Perna, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Minnesota. “This lawsuit is a violation of that trust by the federal government, and the League in Minnesota is proud to fight for the privacy of voters and our members.”
“Voters have a right to privacy and should feel secure knowing that the federal government isn't going to use their private information improperly," said Marcia Johnson, chief counsel of the League of Women Voters of the United States. "The Department of Justice should be focused on protecting voters from illegal invasions of privacy, not violating those very privacy laws. The League is proud to stand up for voters' privacy rights in Minnesota and across the country.”
“The voters of the Minnesota expect state election officials to handle their sensitive personal data with the utmost care, regardless of political affiliation,” said Omar Noureldin, Common Cause Senior Vice President of Policy and Litigation. “But the Department of Justice’s attempt to seize the data threatens not only voter privacy, but could undermine the public’s trust in fair, nonpartisan election administration, and suppress voters from engaging with the state in elections. We urge the court to protect voter data and safeguard the overall integrity of state and federal election systems.”
“The DOJ is seeking an unprecedented level of data collection that poses a significant threat to the privacy of Minnesotans,” said ACLU-MN Staff Attorney David McKinney. “Minnesota has a strong reputation for conducting clean and fair elections. The state has provided detailed information to the DOJ and has rightfully refused to give highly sensitive information that the DOJ doesn’t need. Not only has DOJ failed to establish their legal authority to compel such information, but its demands also do not adhere to either state or federal privacy laws and it disregards the state’s primary role in administering elections.”
DOJ filed lawsuits against Minnesota, Maine, Oregon, California, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. These lawsuits are clear violations of states’ rights to conduct their own elections and maintain secure voter files. LWV of Minnesota, Common Cause and Minnesota voters are intervening to ensure that the argument is made before the court, and to ensure their members are protected.