Staff Reports
The Justice Department has quietly pressed two election‑related nonprofits for records about how they used sensitive motor‑vehicle and voter data. This is not a minor paperwork request. The DOJ letters to the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) and the Center for Election Innovation and Research (CEIR) follow a formal referral from Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin that raises serious questions under the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA). In plain English: the feds want to know who got Social Security numbers and driver’s license data, and whether that transfer broke the law.
What the DOJ letters demand
The letters — sent from senior Justice Department officials and tied to Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward’s office — ask ERIC and CEIR for internal documents showing what services they provided to states, what research projects they ran, and what they told state motor‑vehicle departments. The DOJ also wants records about any sharing or re‑disclosure of motor‑vehicle information. The concern spelled out by DOJ is that DPPA‑protected data may have been passed to contractors or third parties and then used in ways the law does not permit.
Why the DPPA matters for voter data and privacy
The Driver’s Privacy Protection Act protects personal data from state motor‑vehicle records except for narrow, listed uses. There is a research exception, but it normally forbids re‑disclosure or using the data to contact individuals. DHS’s referral argues that ERIC pushed states to disclose private data for “eligible but unregistered” outreach and that CEIR got some of those files. DHS believes at least nine states could be involved, representing tens of millions of registered voters — numbers that, if true, make this more than a technicality. ERIC and CEIR say they acted lawfully and nonpartisanly; the DOJ will now test that claim against the DPPA.
Why Republicans should pay attention
This probe hits two hot buttons for conservatives: the sanctity of private data and the role of big private money in public functions. Philanthropic grants tied to Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan funded CEIR’s 2020 work, and ERIC’s founder David Becker is tied to both groups. Whether the data moved for routine list maintenance or for voter outreach that bordered on political activity, voters deserve to know. If private grants or outside contractors handled Social Security numbers and license IDs without proper legal cover, that is a real problem — not just a political talking point.
Next steps and a plain demand for transparency
The DOJ can demand documents, seek civil penalties, or take other enforcement steps if it finds DPPA violations. It could also look at whether tax‑exempt rules were abused. Whatever comes next, the public and Congress should insist the DOJ release the letters and the records it gets. Protecting Americans’ Social Security numbers and driver’s‑license data isn’t partisan. If anyone treated those files like campaign fodder, they should be held to account — even if it makes Silicon Valley uncomfortable.
