On Monday, Sept. 8, the Washington Office of the Secretary of State (OSOS) received a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) requesting a full copy of the Washington state Voter Registration Database within 14 days.
The office is assessing the request signed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.
The request specifies that the copy must include the registrant’s full name, date of birth, residential address, and state driver’s license number or the last four digits of the registrant’s Social Security number. Similar requests for complete voter rolls have gone out to at least 22 states.
“As Washington’s chief election official, it is my responsibility to ensure the election process is safe, secure, and transparent,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. “This includes protecting Washingtonians’ voter information and privacy. I will work with all stakeholders to ensure we maintain both.
“To that end, I do not plan on releasing any information until DOJ provides me information on what they plan to do with the data. My office will respond to the DOJ once I’ve had the opportunity to fully assess that information while working with stakeholders, and ensuring our response meets both state and federal legal requirements.”
The Secretary of State’s Office prioritizes the integrity of Washington’s elections while ensuring the security and privacy of voter information. Under Washington state law, full date of birth, driver’s license number, and the last four digits of an individual’s Social Security number are protected information. These are not included in the publicly available voter registration database.
