Nebraska Plans To Hand Over Sensitive Data On Every Registered Voter In State To DOJ | EUROtoday

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s Republican secretary of state will flip over delicate data on each registered voter within the state to the U.S. Justice Department on Thursday after Nebraska’s highest court docket rejected a authorized effort to dam the transfer.

Secretary of State Bob Evnen informed The Associated Press that the Nebraska Supreme Court denied the injunction Wednesday.

Last week, a state choose dismissed the lawsuit filed by authorities watchdog Common Cause, which sought to cease the discharge of voter data, together with dates of beginning, addresses and partial Social Security numbers, to the federal authorities.

“This case threatens the unprecedented and unlawful release of highly sensitive information of every Nebraska voter,” attorneys for Common Cause wrote in a quick searching for the injunction. “Once the data is released, that bell cannot be unrung.”

The authorized struggle in Nebraska comes within the wake of an FBI raid that noticed it seize 2020 ballots and different election paperwork from Georgia’s Fulton County and President Donald Trump declaring he desires to “take over” elections from Democratic-run areas with the November midterms on the horizon.

The federal Justice Department started final yr pushing states to show over their voter knowledge and different election data. The division has sued no less than 23 states and the District of Columbia in its effort to acquire voter rolls.

Evnen stated Wednesday that he’s giving voter data to the Justice Department so it might assess whether or not Nebraska is complying with federal voting legal guidelines. He famous that the Nebraska Attorney General’s workplace had suggested that the federal request “was lawful and proper.”

His workplace will add the data electronically to the Justice Department, he stated, and can embrace a request that privateness legal guidelines be noticed.

In a written assertion launched by his workplace, Evnen stated he’s devoted to defending voters’ personally identifiable data from misuse.

But when requested if he was optimistic that Nebraska voter data could be saved safe and never result in reputable voters being kicked off voter roles, Evnen responded, “The only thing I’m positive of is that the sun won’t catch in a tree when it sets tonight.”

Evnen stated the state wouldn’t take away folks from voter rolls based mostly solely on Department of Justice suggestions. Instead, election officers would conduct their very own investigation and would first contact anybody tagged for elimination from the rolls.

Earlier this week, a federal choose rejected the division’s effort to acquire Michigan’s voter rolls.

The Justice Department has stated it’s searching for the info as a part of an effort to make sure election safety, however Democratic officers say the demand violates state and federal privateness legal guidelines. Election officers have raised issues that federal officers are attempting to make use of the delicate knowledge for different functions, similar to trying to find potential noncitizens on the rolls.

Elections within the United States are administered on the state and native stage, the place particular person voter data is saved.