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Trump admin requests voter data from MN, other states
The Trump administration is ramping up efforts to obtain election and voter data from a multitude of states, including Minnesota. FOX 9’s Bill Keller has the latest.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Trump administration is attempting to get voter and election information from several states, including Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to The Associated Press.
Justice Department seeks voter, election information
Big picture view:
Over the past three months, the U.S. Department of Justice has requested election information from at least 19 states, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah and Wisconsin.
Some election officials are being asked basic questions, like what their state does to comply with federal voting laws, including how they identify and remove duplicate voter registrations.
DOJ requests Minnesota's voter registration list
Local perspective:
However, Minnesota is one of more than a dozen states which have received letters requesting their statewide voter registration list, including both active and inactive voters.
In response to the Justice Department's request, attorneys for Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said the information they're asking for "contains sensitive personal identifying information on several million individuals," adding it's the type of detailed voter data the federal agency is not legally entitled to.
Dig deeper:
The Associated Press reports at least seven states have been contacted by DOJ lawyers about creating an information-sharing agreement related to instances of election fraud.
While other experts note, the request for detailed voter data is questionable because the Privacy Act of 1974 puts strict guidelines on data collection by the federal government.
According to The Associated Press, a majority of the states in question have their elections overseen by a Democrat. Just five of the administrators being probed for information are Republicans, while one is overseen by a bipartisan commission.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report.