Federal court shuts down Trump DOJ bid for California voter rolls [View all]

[highplainsdem]

Source: Democracy Docket

A federal court dismissed the Trump Justice Department’s lawsuit seeking access to California’s full voter registration database Thursday, warning that the government’s bid for the voter records “threatens the right to vote which is the cornerstone of American democracy.”

The ruling, that the federal government has no legal authority to demand the sensitive personal information of nearly 23 million voters, blocks one of the most aggressive efforts yet by the administration to centralize voter data and marks a major victory for voter privacy and state sovereignty over elections.

It comes a day after a federal judge likewise tentatively ruled to reject DOJ’s lawsuit against Oregon over the same issue. The department has sued 23 states and the District of Columbia as part of a sweeping effort to gain access to tens of millions of voter records.

DOJ sought California’s unredacted, statewide voter rolls, including names, birthdates, addresses, driver’s license and Social Security numbers. California election officials refused to give the federal government the data, citing state and federal privacy laws and warning that the request would endanger voters.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/federal-court-shuts-down-trump-doj-bid-for-california-voter-rolls/