Case Summary
LWVOK intervened in a lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice to stop the disclosure of private voter data from the federal government. The Department had sued after Oklahoma state election officials refused to hand over the private voter data, which included driver license numbers and the last four digits of voters’ Social Security Numbers. The Department claimed it was entitled to the data under the Civil Rights Act of 1960.
Since the beginning of the second Trump Administration, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued requests for states to provide registered voters’ personal data. This data could be shared with the Department of Homeland Security for criminal and immigration investigations.
Oklahoma was among the states that received these requests. The DOJ requested data that included voters' full name, date of birth, address, driver license number, and the last four digits of their Social Security number. The DOJ claimed it was entitled to access the data under the Civil Rights Act of 1960. After Oklahoma officials initially refused to provide the data, the DOJ filed a lawsuit on February 26, 2026, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.
On March 23, 2026, the League of Women Voters of Oklahoma (“LWVOK”), the League of United Latin American Citizens of Oklahoma City (“LULAC OKC”), and an individual voter moved to intervene to defend voter privacy. LWVOK and its partners asserted that the Civil Rights Act of 1960 did not grant access to the records requested by DOJ, that the DOJ’s stated reasons for its desire to access the data were pretextual and inadequate under the law’s requirements, and that if voter data were to be provided, it should be redacted to protect voter privacy.
On March 24, 2026, the DOJ moved to voluntarily dismiss the case, after it reached a settlement agreement with Oklahoma election officials. Oklahoma agreed to provide a current voter file containing the requested information while DOJ claimed it would comply with privacy protections in federal law when using the data.
LWVOK and its partners were represented in this matter by the ACLU of Oklahoma, ACLU Voting Rights Project, and Democracy Defenders Fund.
LWV Timeline
DOJ files lawsuit
The Department of Justice files a federal lawsuit demanding Oklahoma turn over its unredacted list containing private voter data.
LWVOK moves to intervene
LWVOK and LULAC OKC move to intervene to defend Oklahoma voters’ privacy.
Oklahoma officials reach settlement with DOJ
The DOJ and Oklahoma state officials reach a settlement agreement, in which the unredacted voter file would be turned over to the federal government in exchange for an assurance DOJ would follow federal privacy protections.
DOJ dismisses case
The DOJ dismisses the case after the settlement agreement was reached with Oklahoma officials.