LINCOLN — Nebraska’s Secretary of State Bob Evnen has begun complying with a U.S. Department of Justice request for detailed voter registration data, providing sensitive information — including names, dates of birth and the last four digits of Social Security numbers or driver’s license numbers on over 1.25 million registered voters — to the federal government amid ongoing legal challenges. The release comes after a lower court and the Nebraska Supreme Court refused to block the transfer, despite arguments from voting advocacy group Common Cause that Nebraska law and privacy protections should prevent handing over such data. The DOJ says the data will be used to help assess compliance with federal voter-list maintenance requirements, but critics warn the sensitive information cannot be “unrung” once shared and raises broader concerns about voter privacy and federal overreach.

Common Cause’s lawsuit, originally filed to enjoin the data transfer, was dismissed by the district court, and while the state’s high court denied an injunction, it agreed to hear the underlying appeal on March 31. That means Nebraska will provide the voter information before the appeals court weighs in on whether the release complies with state law. Secretary Evnen has insisted the DOJ will follow applicable laws in handling the data, and election officials will not automatically remove voters based on federal recommendations. But privacy advocates continue to challenge both the legal basis for the data request and the potential implications for Nebraska voters’ personal information.

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