Several civil rights organizations and two Minnesota voters filed a motion today to intervene in a federal lawsuit to prevent the Department of Justice (DOJ) from compelling Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon to turn over comprehensive voter registration data.
The motion to intervene was filed by the League of Women Voters of Minnesota, Common Cause, and two Minnesota voters.
They are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Minnesota. The action is in response to the lawsuit, United States of America v. Simon, which the DOJ brought seeking to obtain extensive and protected voter information.
READ: Former Special Counsel Jack Smith Called to Testify Before House Judiciary Committee
Core Data and Concerns
The federal lawsuit is part of a broader effort by the administration to acquire full voter registration databases from multiple states. The requested information includes sensitive personal details, such as a voter’s full name, date of birth, address, and partial social security and driver’s license numbers.
The organizations opposing the data seizure argue that the federal government is attempting to create an “unprecedented and unauthorized national voter database” and lacks the authority to do so.
Reporting has also suggested that the DOJ intends to share the collected voter data with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to support criminal and immigration investigations, a move decried by blue states.
Jennifer Compeau, one of the Minnesota voters joining the motion, stated her motivation was to “defend and protect the data of myself and other Minnesotans, specifically justice-impacted individuals who just regained their right to vote.” She added that voters “shouldn’t have to risk our privacy to use it.”
READ: Florida Rep. Donalds Rips New York AG Letitia James: “Stupid” $18 Million Valuation Of Mar-a-Lago
Amy Perna, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Minnesota, asserted that Minnesotans register to vote trusting their government will keep their information safe and private. She called the DOJ lawsuit a “violation of that trust.”
From a national perspective, Marcia Johnson, chief counsel of the League of Women Voters of the United States, argued that the DOJ should be focused on “protecting voters from illegal invasions of privacy, not violating those very privacy laws.”
The DOJ has filed similar lawsuits against several other states, including Maine, Oregon, California, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania.
The intervenors in Minnesota state they are joining the case to ensure their arguments are heard by the court and to protect their members.
READ: Florida Sen. Ashley Moody Joins Demand For All DOJ, FBI Records On ‘Arctic Frost’
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
