Right-Wing Legal Group Dismisses D.C. Voter Roll Lawsuit After Settlement
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A right-wing legal group has dismissed its lawsuit challenging Washington, D.C.’s voter rolls after reaching a settlement agreement requiring the D.C. Board of Elections (DCBOE) to turn over voter registration data.
Certain information from the data will be redacted and the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) dropped its initial request for voter birth date information.
In June 2021, PILF — a conservative legal group with ties to former Trump attorneys Cleta Mitchell and John Eastman — requested voter registration data and voter list maintenance records concerning alleged deceased voters on the city’s rolls from the DCBOE. The DCBOE gave PILF a list of former registered voters who were removed from the rolls because they passed away, but declined to provide data on potentially deceased voters from the Election Registration Information Center (ERIC).
When the DCBOE denied part of PILF’s request later in July 2021, the group filed a lawsuit against its executive director alleging that Washington, D.C. is violating the Public Disclosure Provision of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). PILF argued that the DCBOE was failing to maintain accurate voter rolls and was not complying with its voter list maintenance obligations under the NVRA.
Eventually, in February 2024, the parties reached an agreement that some ERIC data would be turned over to PILF. As a result of the settlement, PILF agreed to voluntarily dismiss its lawsuit.
PILF is still pursuing anti-voting lawsuits in Colorado, Hawaii, Michigan, New York and South Carolina.