Justice Dept. close to finalizing deal to hand over states' voter roll data to Homeland Security, sources say
CBSN
The Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security are close to finalizing an agreement that will allow the federal government to use sensitive voter registration data for immigration and criminal investigations, sources with direct knowledge of the plan told CBS News. The Justice Department's controversial collection of voter roll data is being litigated in dozens of states, and the department has not disclosed its data-sharing plans to any of the courts. In:
The Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security are close to finalizing an agreement that will allow the federal government to use sensitive voter registration data for immigration and criminal investigations, sources with direct knowledge of the plan told CBS News. The Justice Department's controversial collection of voter roll data is being litigated in dozens of states, and the department has not disclosed its data-sharing plans to any of the courts.
The Justice Department will share voter roll data that its Civil Rights Division is collecting from states with Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations as part of an effort to determine whether non-citizens are unlawfully registered or have cast ballots in prior elections, the sources said.
CBS News could not determine the precise details of how the data-sharing arrangement will work, though the formal request for access to the data is expected to come from Todd Lyons, who is currently the senior official performing the duties of the acting director of ICE.
The arrangement could entail the creation of a system that would let officials submit queries to match voter registration data collected by the Justice Department with DHS alien databases, one of the sources added.
"This Department of Justice is devoting significant resources to ensure that elections are free, fair, and transparent. That includes litigation to ensure voter roll maintenance and a clear focus on ensuring that American elections are decided solely by American citizens," a spokesperson for the Justice Department said.
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