Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says she will not comply with a federal government order to turn over Michigan voter data. In a video posted Friday by her office, Benson said the U.S. Department of Justice’s demand violates state and federal privacy laws.
“The United States Justice Department is trying to get me, Michigan’s chief election officer, to turn over your Social Security number, driver’s license number, and voting information,” she said. “I told them they can’t have it.”
The Justice Department is suing Benson for voter records that include driver’s license numbers and the last four digits of Social Security numbers. The DOJ alleges Michigan is not doing a good enough job of cleaning its rolls of ineligible voters. It claims Michigan has a 4.2% rate of scrubbing rolls of ineligible voters compared to a national average of 9.1%.
The Michigan Secretary of State declined in letters dated September 2 and September 9 to release its records. Benson said the DOJ can conduct its oversight responsibilities with publicly available voter records.
“The Department of State manages and maintains your driving and voting records in accordance with the law,” she said. “Federal and state laws include strict privacy protections to keep this data confidential and to keep you safe from identity theft.”
Democratic and Republican secretaries of state are resisting federal efforts to gain control of their voter records. The DOJ has asked more than 30 states to share their voter rolls.
