Michigan can keep voter personal data from federal government, appeals court says

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that Michigan can keep voter birth dates, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers from the federal government, handing the Justice Department another setback in its effort to obtain detailed state voter records.

The 2-1 ruling upheld a lower court decision in Lansing and limited what Michigan must turn over to Washington. The state may continue to provide only the public voter-registration list, not the protected personal fields at the center of the dispute.

What the court decided

The case turned on whether the federal government could force Michigan to disclose unredacted voter data. The appeals panel said no, allowing the state to keep the sensitive information private.

That outcome preserves Michigan’s position that the public registration list is enough to satisfy any lawful disclosure obligation, while protecting the more sensitive data fields from federal access.

The decision is the latest in a series of courtroom losses for the administration’s voter-data campaign, which has run into resistance from several states and judges.

Why the Justice Department wanted the records

The Justice Department argued that it needed the information to check compliance with federal election law and look for anomalies in voter rolls.

Michigan countered that the request went beyond routine oversight. State lawyers said the administration’s real aim was to build a national voter file and share information with the Department of Homeland Security to look for possible noncitizen voting.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has said the state is willing to provide public registration information, but not private personal details.

A broader national fight

The Michigan case is part of a wider clash over how much voter data states must share with the federal government and how far the government can go in seeking information tied to election administration and privacy.

AP has reported similar federal defeats for the administration in cases involving Maryland, Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.

The reporting also noted that at least 13 states have either provided or promised to provide voter registration lists to the federal government, showing that state responses have varied widely even as litigation has intensified.

What happens next

The ruling does not necessarily end the dispute. The administration could seek further review, including an en banc rehearing before the full 6th Circuit or a petition to the Supreme Court.

For now, though, Michigan has won the right to keep the protected voter fields private while the broader legal fight continues.

The decision adds another data point in an emerging national test of federal access to state voter files, privacy protections for registered voters and the scope of the Justice Department’s election-law enforcement efforts.