WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Republican
National Committee (RNC) sued Delaware’s
State Election Commissioner for refusing to provide voter list maintenance
records as required by law.
“Delaware voters have a
right to know if their state has accurate voter rolls,” said Republican
Party Chairman Joe Gruters. “But instead of being transparent,
Delaware’s election officials are refusing to provide records on how they
remove ineligible voters as the law requires. If a state chooses to block the
public from knowing how they maintain their voter rolls, the RNC won’t hesitate
to go to court.”
ON BACKGROUND:
- Last year, the RNC launched its
largest ever records
request, sending public records requests to 48 states and
the District of Columbia seeking documents on how they maintain their
voter registration lists.
- The RNC requested documents on
how each state removes voters that have died, changed addresses, moved
out of state, or are non-citizens.
- Under the National Voter
Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), states are required to maintain records
about how they ensure voter lists are accurate and provide these records
to the public when requested.
- As part of that effort, the RNC
requested records from the State of Delaware, which has failed to
comply with the law and make this information public.
- The RNC’s request to Delaware
went unacknowledged for months; after repeated follow-ups, Delaware sent
only a voter file of inactive voters with no explanation for removals.
- In July, the RNC notified
Delaware it was violating the NVRA by failing to provide these records.
- The RNC filed the lawsuit in
the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, specifically asking
the court to compel Delaware to provide the records the RNC requested as
required by law.
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