Michigan Court Upholds Voter Privacy Against Federal Requests

A federal appeals court has ruled that Michigan can maintain the privacy of its registered voters’ personal information. This decision aligns with earlier rulings against similar federal requests in other states. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals confirmed that details such as birth dates and driver’s license numbers are not mandated for release under the law cited by the U.S. Justice Department.

This ruling supported a federal judge’s earlier decision in Lansing, Michigan. Similar judicial rejections have occurred in Maryland, Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. In Georgia, a related lawsuit was dismissed due to a filing error but has been refiled elsewhere.

Michigan’s Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, emphasized that the federal government would only receive voter lists accessible to the general public. The Trump administration has sought these details, alleging that they are needed to ensure compliance with federal election law, citing unspecified “anomalies.”

Michigan attorneys argued that the federal government has other intentions, such as creating a national voter database and checking for noncitizen participation through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Meanwhile, at least 13 states have either handed over or agreed to share their voter lists with the government. These states include Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming, according to reports from the Brennan Center for Justice and the Associated Press.