DOJ sues Oklahoma over private voter data
As the Trump administration looks to expand its power over state elections, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Oklahoma and four other states on Thursday for access to private voter data.
The Department of Justice argues it needs the information to ensure states are complying with federal voter list maintenance requirements and not allowing noncitizens to vote in federal elections. Ten states have complied, while a majority, like Oklahoma, have refused the request. Lawsuits are ongoing in 30 states and the District of Columbia.
Oklahoma Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax maintains he’s bound by state law not to disclose any personally identifiable information, regardless of the requestor. The state’s private database includes drivers license numbers and partial social security numbers.
“As those entrusted to ensure safe, secure and fair elections, we are obligated to follow the laws as they are written,” Ziriax wrote to the Justice Department in early February, as first reported by KFOR. In the letter, he also outlined Oklahoma’s strict voter list maintenance laws, which include crosschecking death records and reports of jurors rejected for being a noncitizen.
New Jersey, Kentucky, Utah and West Virginia were also hit with lawsuits on Thursday. The latter three, like Oklahoma, went for Trump by double- digit margins in three consecutive presidential election cycles.
State officials offered mixed reactions to the news. Gov. Kevin Stitt, who was critical of the Trump administration in an interview with NPR last week, lauded Oklahoma’s election security laws without specifically referencing the lawsuit.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who has increasingly aligned himself with Trump as he seeks the Republican gubernatorial nomination, said the state will comply with any “lawful federal requests” for information.
“The integrity of our elections is foundational to our republic, and efforts to identify and eliminate voter fraud are both appropriate and necessary,” Drummond said in a statement.
Oklahoma Watch (OklahomaWatch.org) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state.
