RNC Sues New Jersey for Access to Voter Roll and Election Machine Records
The Republican National Committee (RNC) filed a lawsuit Thursday accusing New Jersey of unlawfully withholding public records related to voter list maintenance and voting machine audit logs from the June primary election.
It’s the latest Republican or Trump administration effort to get access to voter records in a bid to uncover illegal voting. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has sent letters to numerous states making similar requests.
The lawsuit charges New Jersey with violating the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) and the state’s common law right of access, and seeks to compel the state to release documents the RNC claims are crucial to ensuring election transparency and accountability.
“Defendant has refused to provide the RNC with publicly available documents related to voting machine seal audit logs and its voter list maintenance procedures as required by law,” the complaint alleges.
The RNC also said in a press release that it’s asking the DOJ to probe what it calls the state’s violation of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) “for failing to provide records pertaining to the state’s voter list maintenance system.”
According to the filing, the RNC submitted multiple records requests as early as March, but the state delayed, ignored or outright denied the requests without justification.
“The people of New Jersey deserve to have transparency and accountability in their elections,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said in the press release. “State officials are slow walking access to records about voting machines and voter roll maintenance. The RNC is taking legal action because the people of New Jersey have a right to know that their elections are being run fairly, securely, and in full compliance with the law.”
The RNC says the state’s Division of Elections rejected its request for voting machine audit logs, citing exemptions under OPRA for technical and security reasons but offering no specific explanation.
“The RNC’s interest in the requested records is greater than Defendant’s interest in non-disclosure,” the complaint adds.
The lawsuit demands the immediate release of the requested documents, a waiver of any associated fees and attorneys’ costs.