Common Cause and two DC voters joined the ACLU National Voting Rights Project in filing a motion to intervene TRONG United States v. Evans to prevent the Department of Justice (DOJ) from obtaining D.C. voters’ personal data from the nonpublic voter file. 

DOJ is seeking voters’ full names, addresses, dates of birth, and driver’s license or Social Security data — information Congress has never authorized the DOJ to collect. 

The advocates and voters argue the DOJ’s request threatens voter privacy and could enable voter disenfranchisement. They are represented by attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation. 

The filing highlights the risk that naturalized citizens and people with a felony conviction could be wrongly flagged as ineligible voters. 

“Voters in DC, and all voters, rightly expect the government to keep their personal information secure and only use it for its intended purpose of maintaining accurate records,” said Maryam Jazini Dorcheh, Senior Director of Litigation at Common Cause. “We are committed to defending voters’ rights and privacy in Washington, D.C. and nationwide, and this case is one of many where we are stepping in to ensure those protections are upheld.”   

“Federal law does not authorize the Department of Justice to demand sweeping access to voters’ most sensitive personal information,” said Ethan Herenstein, staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project. “Handing over voter data without any parameters or protections in place is a huge violation of privacy and invites exactly the kind of errors that have historically led to eligible voters being wrongly purged or denied their right to vote.” 

Common Cause previously filed a lawsuit in Nebraska to protect state voter data and has joined with the ACLU Voting Rights Project to file motions to intervene as defendants in DOJ lawsuits against Colorado, Gruzia Tiểu bang Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania Và Đảo Rhode to protect sensitive data in those states.  

To view the D.C. filing, nhấp vào đây.