{"id":1919,"date":"2026-01-12T09:40:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T15:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/illinois\/?post_type=press&p=1919"},"modified":"2026-01-12T09:54:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T15:54:20","slug":"voting-rights-groups-illinois-voters-file-motion-to-protect-privacy-against-doj-overreach","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/illinois\/press\/voting-rights-groups-illinois-voters-file-motion-to-protect-privacy-against-doj-overreach\/","title":{"rendered":"Voting Rights Groups, Illinois Voters File Motion to Protect Privacy Against DOJ Overreach"},"template":"","class_list":["post-1919","press","type-press","status-publish","hentry","press_type-press-release"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"Groups, voters seek to intervene in DOJ\u2019s lawsuit demanding sensitive Illinois voter data ","featured_image":"","press_type":145,"authors":"","related_issues":[412],"related_work":false,"location":16},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":true,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":["{\"site_id\":\"1\",\"post_type\":\"person\",\"post_id\":7755}"],"name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_wysiwyg":{"content":"Common Cause, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and three individual Illinois voters, Pablo Mendoza, Brian Beals, and Alejandra Iba\u00f1ez, joined the ACLU National Voting Rights Project, ACLU Illinois, and Chicago Lawyers\u2019 Committee for Civil Rights seeking to intervene<\/a> in <\/span>United States v. Matthews<\/span><\/i> to prevent the Department of Justice (DOJ) from obtaining Illinois voters\u2019 personal data from the nonpublic voter file.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nIn July, the DOJ asked Illinois as part of a nationwide movement to collect highly sensitive voter data that is protected under state and federal law, to turn over voters\u2019 full names, dates of birth, addresses, driver\u2019s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers. The state did not turn over the unredacted data, citing those state and federal privacy protections. The DOJ responded by filing a lawsuit against the Director of the Illinois Board of Elections in December in an attempt to obtain this same information.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe advocates and voters argue the DOJ\u2019s request threatens voter privacy and enables voter disenfranchisement. They are represented by attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, ACLU Illinois and Chicago Lawyers\u2019 Committee for Civil Rights.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe filing highlights the threat that naturalized citizens and people who were formerly incarcerated whose voting rights were restored face being wrongly flagged as ineligible voters.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cThese privacy laws are in place for a reason,\u201d said <\/span>Elizabeth Grossman, Common Cause Illinois Executive Director. <\/b>\u201cHanding this data over to the federal government would put voters\u2019 sensitive information 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 Illinois voters and to prevent the potential misuse of their data.\u201d <\/span>\r\n<\/span> \r\n<\/span>\u201cEvery election cycle ICIRR and our members encourage our community members to get out and vote, but Trump\u2019s repeated violations of federal law are an attempt to silence our community\u2019s voice,\u201d said <\/span>Lawrence Benito, Executive Director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights<\/b>. \u201cWe reject Trump\u2019s attempt to access private voter data and suppress voter participation. We remain committed to protecting the sacred, hard-won right to vote.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\nCommon Cause and ICIRR were joined in the motion by Illinois voters Pablo Mendoza, Brian Beals and Alejandra L. Iba\u00f1ez who each have grave concerns about the harm the federal government could cause if allowed to obtain their private voting information.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cThe Trump Department of Justice \u2013 without proper authorization from Congress \u2013 is apparently seeking to create a nationwide database that can be used to harass voters and fuel false claims of voter fraud,\u201d added <\/span>Kevin Fee, Legal Director at the ACLU of Illinois. <\/b>\u201cIt is critical that states \u2013 including Illinois \u2013 resist this illegal effort and protect the privacy of our voters.\u201d <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cThe United States Department of Justice is engaging in a clear federal overreach and abuse of power that puts Illinois voters at risk,\u201d said <\/span>Ami Gandhi, Director of the Midwest Voting Rights Program at Chicago Lawyers\u2019 Committee for Civil Rights<\/b>. \u201cGovernmental demands for this sensitive information pose serious risks for naturalized citizens and people returning home from incarceration who already face heightened scrutiny and barriers to participation. We must defend Illinois voters against federal efforts that threaten their voting rights.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cVoters in Illinois, and all voters, rightly expect the government to keep<\/span> their personal information secure and only use it for its intended purpose of maintaining accurate records,\u201d <\/span>said Maryam Jazini Dorcheh, Senior Director of Litigation at Common Cause<\/b>. \u201cWe are committed to defending voters\u2019 rights and privacy in Illinois and nationwide, and this case is one of many where we are stepping in to ensure those protections are upheld.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cThe DOJ is demanding access to some of the most sensitive personal information voters possess without clear legal authority, defined limits, or meaningful protections,\u201d said <\/span>Ethan Herenstein, staff attorney with the ACLU\u2019s Voting Rights Project<\/b>. \u201cReleasing this data invites misuse, exposes voters to identity theft and surveillance, and creates a real risk that eligible voters will be wrongly targeted or purged from the rolls. Protecting voter privacy is not optional; it is a core component of protecting the right to vote itself.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\nCommon Cause previously <\/span>filed a lawsuit in Nebraska<\/span><\/a> to protect state voter data and has joined with the ACLU Voting Rights Project to protect sensitive voter information by moving to intervene in DOJ lawsuits against <\/span>Colorado<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Georgia<\/span><\/a> Maryland<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Massachusetts<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Minnesota,<\/span><\/a> New Mexico<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Pennsylvania,<\/span><\/a> Rhode Island<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Washington DC<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Wisconsin <\/span><\/a>to protect sensitive data in those states.\r\n\r\nTo view the Illinois filing, click here.<\/a><\/span>"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_add_component","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_add_component":null},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_work","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_work":{"heading":"Work","manually_curate":false,"work":null}}]},"yoast_head":"\nVoting Rights Groups, Illinois Voters File Motion to Protect Privacy Against DOJ Overreach - 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