MEDIA CONTACTS
Kenny Colston: kcolston@commoncause.org | 502-214-3732
Ella Wiley: ewiley@aclu.org | 925-819-0555
Ed Yohnka: eyohnka@aclu-il.org | 847-687-1129
Zindy Marquez: zmarquez@clccrul.org | 312-202-3657
Brandon Lee: blee@icirr.org
Voters and groups seek to intervene in DOJ’s lawsuit demanding sensitive Illinois voter data
Chicago —Common Cause, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and three individual Illinois voters, Pablo Mendoza, Brian Beals, and Alejandra Ibañez, joined the ACLU National Voting Rights Project, ACLU Illinois, and Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights seeking to intervene in United States v. Matthews to prevent the Department of Justice (DOJ) from obtaining Illinois voters’ personal data from the nonpublic voter file.
In July, the DOJ asked Illinois as part of a nationwide movement to collect highly sensitive voter data that is protected under state and federal law, to turn over voters’ full names, dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers. The state did not turn over the unredacted data, citing those state and federal privacy protections. The DOJ responded by filing a lawsuit against the Director of the Illinois Board of Elections in December in an attempt to obtain this same information.
The advocates and voters argue the DOJ’s request threatens voter privacy and enables voter disenfranchisement. They are represented by attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, ACLU Illinois and Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights.
The filing highlights the threat that naturalized citizens and people who were formerly incarcerated whose voting rights were restored face being wrongly flagged as ineligible voters.
“These privacy laws are in place for a reason,” said Elizabeth Grossman, Common Cause Illinois Executive Director. “Handing this data over to the federal government would put voters’ sensitive information at risk and could result in eligible voters being denied their right to participate in a major election year. Common Cause is fighting to protect the rights of Illinois voters and to prevent the potential misuse of their data.”
“Every election cycle ICIRR and our members encourage our community members to get out and vote, but Trump’s repeated violations of federal law are an attempt to silence our community’s voice,” said Lawrence Benito, Executive Director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. “We reject Trump’s attempt to access private voter data and suppress voter participation. We remain committed to protecting the sacred, hard-won right to vote.”
Common Cause and ICIRR were joined in the motion by Illinois voters Pablo Mendoza, Brian Beals and Alejandra L. Ibañez who each have grave concerns about the harm the federal government could cause if allowed to correct their private voting information.
“The Trump Department of Justice – without proper authorization from Congress – is apparently seeking to create a nationwide database that can be used to harass voters and fuel false claims of voter fraud,” added Kevin Fee, Legal Director at the ACLU of Illinois. “It is critical that states – including Illinois – resist this illegal effort and protect the privacy of our voters.”
“The United States Department of Justice is engaging in a clear federal overreach and abuse of power that puts Illinois voters at risk,” said Ami Gandhi, Director of the Midwest Voting Rights Program at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. “Governmental demands for this sensitive information pose serious risks for naturalized citizens and people returning home from incarceration who already face heightened scrutiny and barriers to participation. We must defend Illinois voters against federal efforts that threaten their voting rights.”
“Voters in Illinois, and all voters, rightly expect the government to keetheir personal information secure and only use it for its intended purpose of maintaining accurate records,” said Maryam Jazini Dorcheh, Senior Director of Litigation at Common Cause. “We are committed to defending voters’ rights and privacy in Illinois and nationwide, and this case is one of many where we are stepping in to ensure those protections are upheld.”
“The DOJ is demanding access to some of the most sensitive personal information voters possess without clear legal authority, defined limits, or meaningful protections,” said Ethan Herenstein, staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project. “Releasing this data invites misuse, exposes voters to identity theft and surveillance, and creates a real risk that eligible voters will be wrongly targeted or purged from the rolls. Protecting voter privacy is not optional; it is a core component of protecting the right to vote itself.”
Common Cause previously filed a lawsuit in Nebraska to protect state voter data and has joined with the ACLU Voting Rights Project to protect sensitive voter information by moving to intervene in DOJ lawsuits against Colorado, Georgia Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington DC and Wisconsin to protect sensitive data in those states.
To view the Illinois filing, click here.
See the exhibits here.
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