LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) — Reporter Molly Hudson spoke with Civic Nebraska on Friday afternoon. They said the request from the Department of Justice is concerning and encourages Nebraskans to speak up.
"This is not a partisan issue, this is not something that team red and team blue lock horns over, this is about data privacy," said Steve Smith with Civic Nebraska.
With the deadline to comply set for Monday, it's unclear how Nebraska's Secretary of State, Bob Evnen, will respond. KMTV reached out to his office for comment, but we have not heard back.
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INITIAL REPORTING BELOW:
According to a report from the Omaha World-Herald, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon sent a letter to Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen requesting a full database of voter registration information.
The requested information includes full names, birth dates, addresses, driver's license numbers, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers.
Nebraska is not alone in receiving a request. The Justice Department is now suing Maine and Oregon after those states refused to turn over voter information.
The Trump administration made a similar request in 2017, but the effort was unsuccessful after push back from states.
John Gale, who served as Nebraska's secretary of state at the time, expressed concerns about how the data would be secured and used.
The current letter gives Nebraska a deadline of Monday, September 22, to comply with the request.
According to the Omaha World-Herald, Evnen's office has forwarded the letter to Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers for review and advice.
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