OLYMPIA – On Monday, Sept. 8, the Office of the Secretary of State (OSOS) received a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) requesting a full copy of the Washington state Voter Registration Database within 14 days.
The office is assessing the request signed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.
The request specifies that the copy must include the registrant’s full name, date of birth, residential address, and state driver’s license number or the last four digits of the registrant’s Social Security number. Similar requests for complete voter rolls have gone out to at least 22 states.
“As Washington’s chief election official, it is my responsibility to ensure the election process is safe, secure, and transparent,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. “This includes protecting Washingtonians’ voter information and privacy. I will work with all stakeholders to ensure we maintain both.
“To that end, I do not plan on releasing any information until DOJ provides me information on what they plan to do with the data. My office will respond to the DOJ once I’ve had the opportunity to fully assess that information while working with stakeholders, and ensuring our response meets both state and federal legal requirements.”
The OSOS prioritizes the integrity of Washington’s elections while ensuring the security and privacy of voter information. Under Washington state law, full date of birth, driver’s license number, and the last four digits of an individual’s Social Security number are protected information. These are not included in the publicly available voter registration database.
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Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees areas within state government including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office operates the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, and administers the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees and the Productivity Board state employee suggestion program. The Secretary of State oversees the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime and the Civic Engagement Program to increase governmental trust and participation for all Washingtonians.