State board to release public voter data only
Published 4:19 pm Tuesday, July 4, 2017
A state board has responded publicly to a federal request for each state’s voter data.
The Bipartisan State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement released a statement this week regarding voter concerns about the collection of voter information. Last Wednesday, Kris Kobach, vice chairman of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity and Kansas Secretary of State, sent a letter to all 50 states asking for public voter data. The request is a stated effort to investigate voter fraud; however, some of the information requested may be outside of what is considered public information.
Most states have responded by saying they will hand over some information, based on what information is considered public in their respective states. The information asked for by the commission includes voters’ names, addresses, dates of birth, the last four digits of voters’ Social Security numbers, information about felony convictions, voter history through 2006, political party affiliation and information regarding multi-state voter registration, among other details.
In North Carolina, Social Security numbers, including the last four digits, driver’s license number, date of birth and voter signature are all considered confidential information.
“Under North Carolina law, certain voter information is considered public record. Public records must be made available to anyone who requests them,” the statement reads. “The State Board is required to provide public information to anyone who requests it. According to state law, an agency that receives a request for public records must provide copies or allow inspection of such records ‘as promptly as possible.’ An agency that refuses to provide access to public records may be subject to legal action. Other states have different laws regarding public record and may refuse to honor the Commission’s request without violation their state’s laws.”
Some states have responded with conditions: Alabama has said it will provide information that is publicly available if it’s made clear that the request will actually help “produce necessary results;” New Mexico has said it will not provide any voter data until convinced it will not be used for “nefarious or unlawful purposes.” Other states, including California, Delaware, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania and South Dakota, have refused to comply with the request. Still others continue to weigh the response.
North Carolina’s Bipartisan State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement said that it felt the need to release a statement based on members of the public’s concern about the federal request for data on North Carolina voters.