Lawsuit Seeks To Block Release Of Indiana Voter Informaiton

Voter advocacy groups want to stop Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson from sharing voter information with President Donald Trump’s election integrity commission.

The lawsuit is led by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU’s School of Law, on behalf of local groups that include the League of Women Voters of Indiana and the Indiana chapter of the NAACP.

The Presidential Commission on Election Integrity sent a letter last week to request voter information that includes names, birth dates, political affiliation, and partial Social Security Numbers.

Secretary Lawson says the only information Indiana law allows her to release is names, addresses, and in which congressional district the voter lives.

But Indiana law also bars those who receive that voter information from sharing it with anyone, except for in political and fundraising activities.

And Brennan Center for Justice counsel Jonathan Brater says Lawson needs to know the commission won’t share the info before she hands it over.

“It’s difficult to see how the commission could make that assurance based on what we know now, which is that they have already said they will be sharing the information received with the general public,” Brater says.

In a statement, Lawson’s office says it can’t comment on a pending lawsuit – but notes the presidential commission has halted its requests for voter data.