Legal group files lawsuit against Wisconsin election official for voter roll access

A conservative law firm in Wisconsin has filed a lawsuit against Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe over the public access to the state’s voter registration list, according to a report from Wisconsin Public Radio.

The Public Interest Legal Foundation filed a federal lawsuit against Wolfe because they believe she has violated the federal National Voter Registration Act.

NVRA was created in 1993 and requires states to make their voter registration lists available for public inspection. At the time of the passage of the NVRA, Wisconsin, among five other states, was exempt from the law as the state had same-day registration when the act was signed into law.

WEC currently charges for voter registration lists via Badger Voters, an agency a part of WEC. Fees for purchasing lists range from $25 to $12,500. The voter registration lists do not include a voter’s date of birth, driver’s license information, and Social Security numbers.

The lawsuit aims to nullify Wisconsin’s exemption to NVRA based on a 2013 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which found parts of the Voting Rights Act unconstitutional, reaffirming “the principle that all States enjoy equal sovereignty.”

“We believe transparency should apply in all 50 states, not just 44,” Public Interest Legal Foundation President J. Christian Adams said. “Wisconsin and Minnesota have an exemption from transparency obligations because of things they did 30 years ago or more, that are no longer relevant to current circumstances. And that disclosure of public information is a good thing. We all should be in favor.”

The lawsuit also challenges the $12,500 fee and is seeking for date of birth to be provided on the voter registration lists.

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An attorney from the Democratic firm Elias Law Group claimed PILF is part of a larger movement of conservative organizations using NVRA to “undertake hasty, rushed voter purges.”

“What they’re asking for is low cost access to complete detailed voter data, including the date of birth information, which they say openly that they want to use to scrutinize Wisconsin’s voter rolls,” Attorney David Fox said.