By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – The Justice Department has taken Virginia to federal court, asking a judge to order state election officials to turn over the full statewide voter registration database.
For months, the sides have gone after back-and-forth about the records. Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia are now in voter registration database litigation with the Department of Justice.
In a lawsuit filed Jan. 16 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, federal attorneys say the state failed to produce its Statewide Voter Registration List, known as the SVRL, despite multiple written requests dating back to last summer.
The complaint names Susan Beals, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections, in her official capacity as the defendant.
Court filings show the Justice Department asked Virginia on July 15 for an electronic copy of the state’s voter registration database. Federal attorneys say the request sought the full statewide voter registration list, including all data fields required under federal law.
A follow-up request was sent on Aug. 14.
Federal law allows the attorney general to request certain election records from states and requires states to make those records available. Those requirements are outlined in the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, and the Civil Rights Act of 1960.
The Justice Department says the requested voter file would include each registrant’s full name, date of birth, residential address and a unique identifying number, such as a driver’s license number, the last four digits of a Social Security number, or a federally required identifier.
Court documents state that federal officials and representatives of the Virginia Department of Elections held discussions for several months after the requests were made.
However, the Justice Department says Beals told federal officials on Jan. 8 that the records would not be provided and had still not been produced. At time of court filing, federal attorneys say the SVRL had not been provided.
The Justice Department said the lawsuit against Virginia brings the department’s nationwide total to 24 states and the District of Columbia named in similar cases seeking access to voter registration records.
“Accurate voter rolls are the foundation of election integrity, and any state that fails to meet this basic obligation of transparency can expect to see us in court,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.
The lawsuit does not make accusations of voter fraud or challenge election results. Rather, it focuses on whether Virginia complied with federal requirements to preserve and provide certain election records when requested by federal authorities.
The Justice Department is asking the court to declare that Virginia’s refusal violates federal law and to order the Department of Elections to provide a complete electronic copy of the statewide voter registration list within five days of a court order.
The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia’s Richmond Division.
TCS was unsuccessful getting comment prior to pubication from the Virginia Department of Elections.