The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs violated federal law by refusing to provide statewide voter registration records requested under the Civil Rights Act of 1960, according to court filings.
Seattle's KIRO reported that federal attorneys said the request was part of an ongoing review of how Washington maintains its voter rolls under the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act.
The lawsuit argues the attorney general has broad authority to obtain election-related documents, including voter registration records containing full identifying information such as birthdates and partial Social Security numbers.
Hobbs responded to the DOJ request in September, refusing to hand over data that he says both state and federal privacy laws prevent him from releasing.
The response came after the DOJ requested all fields from the statewide voter registration list, including data the department says it is entitled to review as part of federal oversight of election systems.
Hobbs said his office would only provide information that is already public under Washington law, such as a voter's name, address, year of birth, and voting history.
He said private details, including full dates of birth, driver's license numbers, and parts of Social Security numbers, would not be shared.
"As Washington state's chief elections officer, I take my duty to protect voters and the sensitive information they entrust to the state very seriously," Hobbs said.
He said that while his office will provide public voter registration data, it will not release confidential information that he argues state and federal law bar him from disclosing.
The DOJ letter cited federal election laws in support of its request for full voter-file data.
Hobbs countered that those laws do not require states to provide protected personal information and do not override privacy limits on what can be shared.
He also raised concerns about how the federal government might use the data, pointing to reports that voter files could be used to build a national database or be shared with other agencies for purposes outside election oversight.
Hobbs said such uses could raise questions under federal privacy rules that govern how the government manages systems containing personal records.
"Our office is committed to transparency and accountability in elections," he said.
"But transparency does not mean putting the personal information of every Washington voter at risk."
The DOJ has also requested similar voter-data files from other states around the country.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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