Community advocates are asking a federal court to allow them to intervene in a lawsuit over voter information.
In February, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a lawsuit against West Virginia and four other states — Kentucky, Oklahoma, New Jersey and Utah — for not providing their full voter registration lists upon request.
Last week, the West Virginia Citizen Action Group (CAG) announced they filed a motion to intervene as a defendant in the lawsuit. An intervener is a third party who joins an ongoing legal proceeding to be heard by the court.
CAG represents thousands of voters across the state whose data they say may be compromised depending on the outcome of the litigation.
They are represented by attorneys from Campaign Legal Center, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia.
“The Constitution clearly gives the power to regulate and administer elections to the states and Congress, not the executive branch — and that includes the Justice Department,” Renata O’Donnell, senior legal counsel for strategic litigation at Campaign Legal Center, said. “Voters in West Virginia should trust that their sensitive data remains safeguarded, and Campaign Legal Center will continue to defend this right in court.”
In total, the administration is suing 30 states and Washington, D.C. for not handing over voter files, a request Secretary of State Kris Warner refused twice prior to the suit.
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