Oklahoma agrees to turn over voter data to end federal lawsuit
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Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has agreed to release what was previously considered private voter data to the federal government.
In exchange for the release of Oklahoman’s voter information, the U.S. Department of Justice agreed to dismiss its federal lawsuit against State Election Secretary Paul Ziriax.
“The State of Oklahoma will cooperate with efforts to eliminate voter fraud and safeguard the electoral process in accordance with the law,” Drummond said in a statement. “We are committed to both election integrity and the protection of personal information.”
The action comes a day after two civic engagement groups sought to intervene in the lawsuit to stop the release of Oklahomans’ protected voter data.
The U.S. Department of Justice last month filed suit against State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax after he refused to release some voter data that state law deems private. Drummond’s office represents Ziriax.
Information sought includes the voter’s full name, date of birth, residential address, driver’s license number and partial Social Security number.
According to the settlement agreement, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division can only use the information to assess the state’s compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and the Help America Vote Act of 2002. The agreement does not appear to limit usage by the rest of the agency.
The state agreed to release voters’ full names, dates of birth, addresses, full driver’s license numbers and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers within five business days of the execution of the undated settlement agreement.
The League of Women Voters of Oklahoma, the League of United Latin American Citizens and Laiba Fatima, a naturalized citizen, have filed a motion Monday to intervene in the Department of Justice’s suit.
A spokesperson with the ACLU of Oklahoma, which is representing the groups, said they were “discussing their options internally and remain committed to protecting the rights and privacy of Oklahoma voters.”
The groups had sought to intervene because they believed their interests may not align with those of the state, which needs to maintain a working relationship with federal officials, the filing said.
“The DOJ’s lawsuit is an attack on Oklahoma’s right to keep its voters’ private data private,” said Lynn Staggs, president of the League of Women Voters of Oklahoma. “Oklahoma elections are secure and this demand from the federal government is dangerous government overreach and an attack on democracy.”
Oklahoma is among 29 states and the District of Columbia that the Trump administration has sued, seeking to compel the release of the information.
The intervenors and their members have significant privacy interests and an interest in not being disenfranchised, the filing said.
“The United States seeks the irrevocable disclosure of private voter data to actors who may misuse it in a number of ways, including by mass-challenging or otherwise attacking Oklahomans’ right to vote,” the filing said.