Court Upholds Michigan’s Privacy of Voter Information

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of Michigan, allowing the state to withhold personal information of registered voters from the federal government. This decision marks a continued setback for the Trump administration, which has been seeking access to detailed voter information from numerous states.

The court decided in a 2-1 opinion that the disclosure of details such as birth dates, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers is not mandated by the law cited by the U.S. Justice Department. A federal judge in Lansing, Michigan, had previously made a similar determination.

Alongside Michigan, states like Maryland, Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin have blocked similar efforts. In Georgia, a lawsuit was dismissed due to it being filed in the incorrect city, but the government has refiled it elsewhere.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson stated that the federal government is only allowed to access a basic list of registered voters, which is also available to the general public. The Trump administration expressed intentions to use voter information to verify Michigan’s adherence to federal election laws, mentioning concerns over election ‘anomalies’ and other issues in court documents.

Attorneys representing Michigan argue that the government has broader ambitions, such as compiling a national voter list and collaborating with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to check if noncitizens have registered or voted. According to data from the Brennan Center for Justice and Associated Press, at least 13 states have agreed or are planning to share their voter registration records with the federal government. These states include Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming.