DOJ's voter info demand a data breach waiting to happen
By Barbara McQuade / Bloomberg Opinion
The law — and long-standing policy — say he shouldn’t get it.
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed lawsuits in 23 states and the District of Columbia seeking access to detailed voter information for the purpose of building a national database. The department’s demand sets a dangerous precedent and could expose millions of Americans to fraud, abuse and other nefarious activity.
In an amicus brief filed in late December, several former DOJ voting-rights lawyers argued that the suit filed in California should be dismissed because the demand, like those filed in other states, violates federal law. As the amici note, although the federal government is entitled to certain voter information under various statutes, the Department of Justice has exceeded its authority by requesting sweeping access to all data for all voters nationwide, including “registration method, participation history, party affiliation, partial Social Security Numbers (SSNs), and driver’s license numbers,” without demonstrating a sufficient legal or factual basis.
Some critics argue that the Justice Department is collecting this data to bolster a false narrative that noncitizens are voting illegally. While preventing ineligible voters from casting ballots is a valid goal, the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act assign the responsibility for maintaining voter rolls to states, not the federal government.
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-dojs-voter-info-demand-a-data-breach-waiting-to-happen/