Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said the state will cooperate with efforts to eliminate voter fraud and safeguard electoral processes
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said on March 24 that the state had reached a settlement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to provide access to the state’s voter registration data.
The DOJ filed lawsuits against Oklahoma and other states last month, alleging they violated federal laws by failing to provide voting records the department said were necessary to determine the states’ compliance with election laws.
In a Feb. 26 statement, the DOJ said that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi had congressional authority under the Civil Rights Act to request election records from states to check for improper voter registrations. The department said Oklahoma failed to provide the data when requested.
Drummond said on March 24 that the state has agreed to provide its computerized voter registration lists to the DOJ under a settlement that ensures the data is being handled in accordance with the Privacy Act.
“The State of Oklahoma will cooperate with efforts to eliminate voter fraud and safeguard electoral processes in accordance with the law. We are committed to both election integrity and the protection of personal information,” the state attorney general said in a statement.
The data will include each registered voter’s full name, date of birth, residential address, full state driver’s license number, and the last four digits of their Social Security number, according to the settlement.
The settlement will also allow the DOJ to use a copy of Oklahoma’s voter registration lists to assess the state’s compliance with election laws.
In exchange, the DOJ dropped its lawsuit against the state on March 24. The DOJ’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, Harmeet K. Dhillon, called it a “positive step” for election integrity in Oklahoma.
“Clean voter rolls are essential for there to be confidence in our elections and we commend Oklahoma for being a willing partner in that effort by producing the requested data,” Dhillon said in the statement.
