Supreme Court Rejects Group’s Bid to See More State Voter Data

The US Supreme Court steered clear of the politically charged fray over state voting rolls, rejecting two appeals from a conservative group that sought broader access to election data in Pennsylvania and Michigan.

The justices without comment left intact lower court rulings that threw out suits against the two swing states by the Public Interest Legal Foundation. In addition to seeking more detailed voter information, the group was trying to force Michigan to take more steps to remove dead people from its rolls.

The rebuff lets the court sidestep a debate fueled by President Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated claims that his 2020 election loss was driven by fraud. The administration has signaled the possibility of drastic measures in advance of the November midterm, with Trump calling on Republicans to “federalize” elections and promising an executive order over voter-ID requirements. The FBI in January raided an elections center in Georgia to seize voting records and other data from the 2020 election.

Read More: Trump Quest for Voter Data Spurs Lawsuits, a Raid and Jail Risk

The appeals to the Supreme Court centered on the National Voter Registration Act, a 1993 US law designed to make easier for citizens to register while also enhancing the accuracy of state databases. The law includes a requirement that states make “a reasonable effort” to remove the names of ineligible voters.

The Pennsylvania suit stemmed from a software error that, until it was discovered in 2017, let ineligible people register. The Public Interest Legal Foundation sought records about the steps state officials had taken to remove anyone who had improperly registered, and the organization eventually sued when it didn’t get everything it requested.

The 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals said the group lacked legal “standing” to sue under the 1993 voting law because it hadn’t shown it suffered any concrete injury.

A different federal appeals court, the 6th Circuit, reached the same conclusion in the Michigan case. The 6th Circuit also said the state had done enough to remove deceased people with a program that regularly compared the Michigan voter list with information obtained from federal, state and local sources.

The Pennsylvania case is Public Interest Legal Foundation v. Schmidt, 25-379. The Michigan case is Public Interest Legal Foundation v. Benson, 25-437.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Greg Stohr in Washington at gstohr@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Elizabeth Wasserman at ewasserman2@bloomberg.net

Steve Stroth

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