“People need to feel confident that when they register to vote, their personal information will remain secure,” the Louisville clerk said during a press conference. “If their most sensitive data is handed over unnecessarily, it could discourage participation and damage confidence in our democratic system.”

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“As the chief election official for Jefferson County, I have a statutory duty to protect the confidential personal information entrusted to us by our voters,” he added. “This lawsuit directly affects my office’s responsibilities, and I believe it is essential that the voices and privacy rights of Jefferson County citizens are strongly defended.”

The Trump administration has made requests for comprehensive voter information as part of a nationwide undertaking aimed at ensuring voter rolls are accurate. Prosecutors say they have authority under the Civil Rights Act of 1960 to demand the production, inspection, and analysis of comprehensive statewide voter registration lists, to cross-check them for improper registrations. In Kentucky, county officials say the DOJ is seeking to access voters’ personal information, such as birth dates, addresses, Social Security numbers, and driver’s license numbers.

“The Justice Department will continue to fulfill its oversight role dutifully, neutrally, and transparently wherever Americans vote in federal elections,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said when the DOJ announced it would sue Kentucky for not releasing the information. “Many state election officials, however, are choosing to fight us in court rather than show their work. We will not be deterred, regardless of party affiliation, from carrying out critical election integrity legal duties.”

Earlier this month, the Kentucky State Board of Elections asked the court to dismiss the DOJ’s lawsuit. The court is still considering the request, with Yates’s action marking the latest development in the case.

Yates said he is the first county clerk in the country to take legal action against the Trump administration. He argued that authority over the voting process should be reserved for local and state officials, issuing a warning against the federal government expanding control over the system.

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“The Constitution deliberately gives states and local governments control over elections to prevent federal overreach by any president or administration,” Yates said.

“Local officials, like the Clerk, are the primary registration records custodians and administrators of elections in Kentucky engaging in firsthand and active participation in the voting process, directly with voters, from start to finish,” his motion reads.