West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner announced today that his office will not release personally identifying information of registered West Virginia voters to the U.S. Department of Justice, according to a press release from the Secretary of State’s Office.
The DOJ’s request, reportedly sent to almost every state, seeks registered voters’ personal data including their Social Security number, driver’s license number and other sensitive identifiers.
“West Virginians entrust me with their sensitive personal information. Turning it over to the federal government, which is contrary to state law, will simply not happen,” Warner said. “State law is clear: voter lists are available in a redacted format from my office, but I’ll not be turning over any West Virginian’s protected information.”
Warner emphasized that on February 10, a Trump-appointed federal judge dismissed the DOJ’s lawsuit against the Michigan Secretary of State who also refused to turn over voters’ personal data. The judge ruled that no federal law, including the Help America Vote Act, National Voter Registration Act or Civil Rights Act of 1960, gives the DOJ authority to demand and receive states’ unredacted voter registration files.
“My responsibility is first and foremost to the citizens of West Virginia,” Warner added. “We will comply with the law, which does not allow us to release protected data. We have offered to work cooperatively with the federal government to maintain the continuity of elections nationwide, but the DOJ doesn’t have authority to run a state’s elections. I support efforts to strengthen election integrity, but I will not break the law, give up our state’s rights or compromise the privacy of our citizens.”
The Secretary of State’s Office reports that in the last nine years, more than 408,000 outdated, abandoned, out-of-state or otherwise ineligible voter registration records have been cancelled. At the same time, more than 350,000 new voter registrations have been added to the rolls.
“The DOJ claims it wants to enforce voter list maintenance laws and receiving West Virginians’ personal information is the way to do it,” Warner said. “I dare say that the DOJ cannot do a better job than the 55 West Virginia county clerks who have accomplished the herculean task of refreshing more than half of the state’s voter rolls over the last nine years, and continue to do so on a daily basis.”
Warner reaffirmed that ensuring transparency in elections does not require sacrificing the privacy rights of voters.
“West Virginians expect secure elections and the assurance that their personal information is protected,” Warner said. “That remains my commitment, and I have no interest in turning over the entire state’s unredacted voter list for some brownie points from the federal government. Indeed, we each have our roles in election integrity, but this request is far outside the federal government’s lane.”
For information on West Virginia elections, visit GoVoteWV.com.
