The brief cites Oregon’s strong privacy laws as protection for voters’ data from the federal government
EUGENE, OR - Yesterday, the League of Women Voters of Oregon (LWVOR) and ACLU of Oregon filed a “friend of the court” brief in United States v. Oregon, in support of Oregon voters’ privacy and Oregon state privacy law. The brief opposes the United States Department of Justice’s unlawful demand for disclosure of Oregon voters’ private information, such as driver’s license numbers and the last four digits of Social Security numbers. The League is represented by Campaign Legal Center and the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law. The ACLU of Oregon is represented by the ACLU.
"The League of Women Voters of Oregon is determined to protect the private data of Oregonians from the overreach of the federal government," said Mark Kendall, president of the League of Women Voters of Oregon. "We are proud to support our state’s strong state privacy laws against the federal government’s fishing expedition. The League will continue to protect our members and Oregon voters from this intrusion that erodes trust in the very institutions that we expect to uphold our highest democratic principles and values."
"The Department’s actions are yet another attempt to misuse federal law to illegally collect confidential data for illegitimate uses," said Caren Short, director of legal and research, League of Women Voters of the United States. "Voters deserve to have confidence that their private information will not be taken for wrongful purposes, and the League is proud to stand up on behalf of Oregonians to ensure they feel protected as voters and citizens."
"Voting is a fundamental and constitutional right. And Oregon law protects the privacy of sensitive voter information. Across the United States, Oregon is proudly leading in the areas of democracy, voting access, and people power," said Eri Andriola, litigation manager, ACLU of Oregon. "It is critical that we fight to ensure that our data and our right to vote are protected."
"The DOJ’s demand for sensitive voter data not only threatens Oregon voter’s privacy, it is a blatant attempt to stifle democratic participation in Oregon and nationwide," said Theresa J. Lee, senior staff attorney, ACLU Voting Rights Project. "As DOJ has already admitted publicly, this is not about Oregon’s voter rolls, but about their attempt to gather sensitive voter data never before held by the federal government."
"What the US Department of Justice is doing in Oregon and in other states across the country is a blatant overreach by the federal government that seeks to violate voters’ privacy and undermine their freedom to vote. Our Constitution is clear: The states and Congress — not the executive acting alone — have the authority to administer and regulate our elections, including oversight of voter data," said Brent Ferguson, director of strategic litigation, Campaign Legal Center. "Oregonians should have confidence that their personal, private information is protected. Alongside our partners, Campaign Legal Center will continue to stand up against the Trump administration's unlawful data seizures."
"The Justice Department’s lawsuit against Oregon is part of a dangerous attempt to amass sensitive voter information from across the country. This collection of sensitive data, like driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers, is the latest move in the administration’s broader effort to undermine American elections," said Eileen O’Connor, senior counsel, Brennan Center for Justice. "A federal voter database of this scale could be exploited to fabricate false claims of fraud or remove eligible voters from the rolls. States have long defended voter privacy and election security, and the Justice Department’s work to amass sensitive data on voters across the country threatens both."
United States v. Oregon is one of nine lawsuits the Justice Department has filed around the country demanding the disclosure of private voter data. Since May, the Department has asked dozens of states for copies of their complete, unredacted statewide voter file, including sensitive information such as driver’s license numbers and the last four digits of voters’ Social Security numbers. Oregon received a request on July 16, 2025. Because state law prohibits the disclosure of some of the data the Department requested – namely, a voter’s birth month, birth day, Social Security number, and driver’s license number –the Oregon Secretary of State offered to provide the publicly available voter file, provided the Department followed state laws in requesting it and agreed to comply with federal privacy laws. On September 16, 2025, the Department filed a lawsuit against the State of Oregon and the Oregon Secretary of State.
Read the brief here.
Visit the League’s Legal Center case page here: USA v. Oregon
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