ACLU-DE Statement on Major Win in Federal Lawsuit to Protect Delaware Voters’ Sensitive Information

U.S. v. Albence is a lawsuit filed by the federal government that seeks to force the State of Delaware to disclose sensitive personal voter data, such as driver’s license numbers and Social Security information, for hundreds of thousands of Delawareans. After making repeated demands for the data, the U.S. Department of Justice was unsatisfied with the State’s offer of the public voter registration list that is readily available to all Delawareans. The Department continued to demand all unredacted sensitive data while failing to answer Delaware officials’ questions about the legality of the request. No explanation was given for why this sensitive information was needed, or how it could be transferred in a way that did not violate federal and state laws. This case is one of more than twenty cases the U.S. has filed against multiple states to forcibly extract data that can be used to further the current anti-immigration agenda and the federal government’s heavy-handed and escalating threats to states it perceives as enemies of the Trump administration. The federal government’s sweeping request for Delawareans’ voter data threatens our right to privacy and our right to vote. Delaware voters should feel secure that their sensitive personal information will be handled carefully and lawfully by the state and will not be disclosed and weaponized against them by the federal government. We won’t stop fighting to preserve the safety of Delaware voters.

The freedom to cast our ballots safely and securely without fear of government retribution due to who we are or how we vote is a vital part of any well-functioning democracy.