The Golden State is facing a lawsuit from the Department of Justice for not giving up certain voter information.. On September 25, the DOJ announced a lawsuit against California, as well as Michigan, Minnesota, New York, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania, for failing to produce their statewide voter registration lists upon request.
“Clean voter rolls are the foundation of free and fair elections,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a news release. “Every state has a responsibility to ensure that voter registration records are accurate, accessible, and secure — states that don’t fulfill that obligation will see this Department of Justice in court.”
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber issued the following statement in response.
“This lawsuit, like those filed against multiple other states, is a fishing expedition and pretext for partisan policy objectives. The U.S. Department of Justice is attempting to utilize the federal court system to erode the rights of the State of California and its citizens by trying to intimidate California officials into giving up the private and personal information of 23 million California voters. The lawsuit and intentions behind it are a blatant overreach by the federal government.
State law is clear—California has a legal obligation to protect our voters’ sensitive private information. The U.S. Department of Justice has refused our invitation to view the data in the manner contemplated by federal statutes that would protect California citizens’ private and personal data from misuse. They failed to provide sufficient legal authority to justify their intrusive demands, and this lawsuit constitutes an unprecedented intrusion unsupported by law or any previous practice or policy of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The sensitive data of California citizens should not be used as a political tool to undermine the public trust and integrity of elections. I will always stand with Californians to protect states’ rights against federal overreach and our voters’ sensitive personal information. Californians deserve better. America deserves better.
Earlier this month, the DOJ sued the states of Oregon and Maine for the same reason..
This battle comes as President Trump continues to push unsubstantiated claims that there is major voter fraud and abuse in U.S. elections.
