Voter lists don’t have to be publicly disclosed by states under federal law, the Ninth Circuit said Tuesday as it rejected arguments to the contrary by a conservative group seeking records from Hawaii.
The National Voter Registration Act has a provision requiring state disclosures, but only for records regarding programs to ensure the accuracy of voter lists, wrote Judge Michelle T. Friedland. That doesn’t include the lists themselves but rather “processes,” said Friedland an appointee of President Barack Obama to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
“Here, Congress drafted a nuanced disclosure provision that includes qualifying language,” ...