CONCORD, NH —  Today, the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire (LWVNH) and the ACLU of New Hampshire (ACLU-NH), represented by the Campaign Legal Center, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, and the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, filed an amicus brief in United States v. NH Secretary of State urging dismissal of the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit seeking unfettered access to New Hampshire’s complete, unredacted voter file. 

The DOJ filed suit in September after the state of New Hampshire declined to provide its full voter database, which contains confidential information, including driver’s license numbers and the last four digits of Social Security numbers. 

In their brief, LWVNH and the ACLU-NH support the state’s motion to dismiss, arguing that the DOJ’s demand for broad access to confidential voter data is unwarranted and threatens voter privacy. The brief further explains that the lawsuit is part of a broader, nationwide effort to obtain voter roll information — one of several tactics advanced during the United States Department of Justice’s recent campaign targeting election administration practices. 

“The League of Women Voters of New Hampshire is committed to protecting the private information of Granite State voters from federal overreach,” said Liz Tentarelli, president of the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire. “New Hampshire’s voter file contains highly sensitive personal data, and we are proud to support the state’s strong privacy protections against this federal fishing expedition. Efforts like this risk undermining public trust in our elections and in the institutions charged with safeguarding our democracy.” 

“The Department of Justice’s lawsuit is a dangerous escalation in the federal government’s campaign to interfere with state election systems and target voters,” said Caren Short, director of legal and research of the League of Women Voters of the United States. “Federal law does not authorize the wholesale collection of confidential voter information, and efforts to stretch it beyond its limits undermine both voter confidence and the rule of law. The League stands firmly with New Hampshire in demanding that this baseless lawsuit be dismissed.” 

Read the brief here. 

Visit the League’s Legal Center here.