Pennsylvania Refuses DOJ Request for Voter Rolls with Personal Data

Pennsylvania's Secretary of the Commonwealth, Al Schmidt, has refused the U.S. Department of Justice's request for the state's voter rolls containing personally identifiable information such as Social Security and driver’s license numbers. Schmidt stated that the request represents an alarming expansion of federal involvement in elections and that state law prohibits sharing such sensitive data. He offered instead to provide the publicly available voter list, which includes names, addresses, voting history, and other non-confidential information, available for purchase for $20. This refusal comes amid similar requests sent to multiple states by the DOJ, reportedly targeting blue and swing states, and has sparked criticism from local watchdog groups who argue the request lacks legal justification and threatens election integrity. The DOJ recently sued Orange County, California, for redacting similar information, indicating it may press further for compliance. Pennsylvania officials emphasize their commitment to election security and legal obligations to protect voter privacy against what they see as unjustified federal overreach.