Federal court rejects DOJ request for California voter-roll records; state offers limited inspection

The Justice Department is appealing a federal district court decision that dismissed its lawsuit seeking unredacted voter-registration records from California. A district judge ruled in January that the department was requesting an unprecedented amount of personal information from nearly 23 million Californians, including names, Social Security numbers, home addresses and voting history.

Background of the records request The department first demanded the statewide voter list in a letter sent last year. California officials responded by offering to allow inspection of a redacted database in Sacramento, but the department rejected that offer and continued to seek an electronic copy containing all fields.

California officials have cited privacy protections and argued that the federal request oversteps authority under existing voting-rights laws.

Ongoing litigation and related cases The case is now before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. A spokesperson for the state attorney general’s office noted that the department has filed approximately 30 similar voter-roll lawsuits nationwide and has lost all eight cases decided so far.

The department has also pursued records from Orange County’s registrar to help identify noncitizens on local rolls. California’s rules permit certain first-time voters to verify identity with documents such as gym membership cards or employer IDs, and allow third parties to collect and submit ballots with limited restrictions.