6th Circuit Rejects DOJ Bid for Michigan Voter Data in 1st Appellate Setback
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jun 24
6th Circuit Rejects DOJ Bid for Michigan Voter Data in 1st Appellate Setback
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jun 24
Summary
A federal appeals panel said Michigan does not have to hand over non-public voter registration data, including potentially Social Security and driver’s license numbers, to the Justice Department.
Judge Andre Mathis wrote that Title III of the 1960 Civil Rights Act does not cover Michigan’s internally created qualified voter file, and the department also failed to satisfy other statutory requirements.
The ruling marks the first appellate defeat in the administration’s campaign to obtain unredacted voter rolls; lower courts have already ruled against it nine times, and DOJ has sued 30 states.
The administration has said it wants to compare state rolls with a DHS citizenship database, a tool election officials can already use voluntarily but one criticized for false positives that can misidentify naturalized citizens.