Oklahoma Agrees to Turn Over Voter Data in Settlement With DOJ

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said on March 24 that the state had reached a settlement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to provide access to the state’s voter registration data.

The DOJ filed lawsuits against Oklahoma and other states last month, alleging they violated federal laws by failing to provide voting records the department said were necessary to determine the states’ compliance with election laws.

In a Feb. 26 statement, the DOJ said that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi had congressional authority under the Civil Rights Act to request election records from states to check for improper voter registrations. The department said Oklahoma failed to provide the data when requested.

Drummond said on March 24 that the state has agreed to provide its computerized voter registration lists to the DOJ under a settlement that ensures the data is being handled in accordance with the Privacy Act.

“The State of Oklahoma will cooperate with efforts to eliminate voter fraud and safeguard electoral processes in accordance with the law. We are committed to both election integrity and the protection of personal information,” the state attorney general said in a statement.

The data will include each registered voter’s full name, date of birth, residential address, full state driver’s license number, and the last four digits of their Social Security number, according to the settlement.

The settlement will also allow the DOJ to use a copy of Oklahoma’s voter registration lists to assess the state’s compliance with election laws.

In exchange, the DOJ dropped its lawsuit against the state on March 24. The DOJ’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, Harmeet K. Dhillon, called it a “positive step” for election integrity in Oklahoma.

“Clean voter rolls are essential for there to be confidence in our elections and we commend Oklahoma for being a willing partner in that effort by producing the requested data,” Dhillon said in the statement.

Last month, Nebraska agreed to provide voter registration data to the DOJ after the Nebraska Supreme Court denied a request from watchdog group Common Cause for an emergency injunction that would have blocked the transfer. The court also scheduled an expedited hearing for March 31.

Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen said the data transfer was intended to allow the DOJ to assess the state’s compliance with federal voting laws. The Nebraska attorney general’s office advised that the federal request for the voter file was “lawful and proper,” he said.

Evnen noted that the data would be transmitted electronically along with a request that federal officials observe privacy protections.

Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.