A new Utah law will make most voter registration information public.
The lieutenant governor’s office mailed letters to over 300,000 voters whose information was previously classified as “private” or “withheld,” notifying them of the change.
Public voter registration information already includes names, physical and mailing addresses, party affiliation, age range and the elections in which voters cast ballots. It is available on request and for a fee.
Summit County Chief Deputy Clerk Amy Price said other information is private and never shared.
“Your social security number is not shared, your driver’s license or state ID number is not shared, your full date of birth is not shared,” she said. “Nor is your email address, phone number or signature.”
The only people who can access private information are government officials who use it to administer elections.
“At-risk” voters must submit a request to their county clerk for the designation, so that only government officials can access their records.
People who are eligible for the at-risk classification include victims or threatened victims of domestic violence or dating violence, law enforcement officers and members of the military. People shielded by protective orders and public figures who have received threats may also request at-risk status.
So can voters who live in the same household as those people.
“Those folks would have received a specific letter telling them how to do that,” Price said.
For at-risk voters, only non-identifying information will be provided.
People eligible for the at-risk designation must submit a form to their county clerk or to the Office of the Utah Lieutenant Governor by May 6.
The voter information changes go into effect May 25.
The changes to Utah’s voter registration laws come as President Donald Trump’s Justice Department seeks unprecedented access to private voter information.
The DOJ has sued 29 states and Washington, D.C., seeking to compel them to turn over their complete voter registration lists.
The law’s sponsor, Utah Sen. John Johnson, explicitly referenced that lawsuit when proposing the privacy changes in a committee meeting Jan. 23.
“Utah’s voter privacy framework conflicts with federal law and exposes the state to ongoing litigation risk,” he said. “Last year, a federal judge ruled that the National Voter Registration Act overrides Utah’s voter privacy restrictions. Judicial Watch has threatened litigation based on NVRA compliance, and the Department of Justice has requested Utah’s voter registration databases as part of federal review. This is not theoretical. The legal exposure is real and documented.”
Johnson said about 40% of Utah voters have opted to keep their information private, and that public voter registrations should be the default. He argued privacy requirements should be stricter.
Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson has asked a federal court to dismiss the DOJ’s lawsuit, saying the federal government has provided no valid justification for demanding the data.
