Conservative 'election integrity' group wants to publish Mass. voter data online. They're suing the state to get it. [View all]

A group with conservative ties seeking to obtain voter records nationwide is suing Secretary of State Bill Galvin for not providing access to Massachusetts voters’ information.

The Voter Reference Foundation, an organization that has for years compiled and published online a public database of state voter rolls, filed a lawsuit against Galvin in federal court Wednesday. The group alleged that he, as the state’s chief elections officer, had violated the National Voter Registration Act’s public disclosure provision by not granting them access to the state’s voter rolls.

The Ohio-based group is a subsidiary of Restoration of America, an organization backed by GOP megadonor Richard Uihlein, who has for years funneled money toward candidates who questioned President Biden’s 2020 election win, along with other efforts investigating disproven instances of so-called election fraud. The Voter Reference Foundation argues it is seeking to ensure “transparent, accurate and fair elections,” in part by making voter information accessible to the public.

Their efforts come as elections officials nationwide say they have seen an uptick in conservative-backed attempts to obtain voter information, especially since the 2020 election. After losing to Biden that year, former president Donald Trump claimed the election was stolen from him, prompting a wave of unsubstantiated claims challenging election integrity especially in battleground states. Voting rights advocates have expressed concerns that those lists could be used by malicious actors to challenge the 2024 election results or intimidate voters who may not want their information published online.




https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/10/10/metro/massachusetts-sues-secretary-of-state-galvin-election-integrity-voter-data/