LWVPA Statement on Voter Privacy Case
HARRISBURG, Pa — Yesterday, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania (LWVPA) filed a brief in an important Pennsylvania Supreme Court case regarding voter privacy.
In September 2021, the Intergovernmental Operations Committee of the Pennsylvania State Senate issued a subpoena to the Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth seeking a wide variety of documents related to the November 2020 general election and the May 2021 primary election. The committee demanded the names, addresses, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers of every registered voter in Pennsylvania.
The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania (LWVPA) believes in voter privacy and protecting the right of every PA citizen to vote safely and securely. We know that voters’ constitutional right to privacy would be compromised if the state Senate were allowed to enforce their subpoena for voters’ personal data.
“Democracy is an agreement we make with each other. We agree that we will cooperate even when we disagree and that we will not turn on each other when we lose an election,” said Susan Gobreski, board director for government policy for the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania. “This case is about preserving the rights of voters to have a say, to have our votes and our privacy respected.”
Represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP (Keith Whitson, General Counsel and Steve Shapiro, Co-Chair Litigation Services Department), the League is joined by eight Pennsylvania voters and our coalition partners Common Cause Pennsylvania and Make the Road Pennsylvania in making the case for voter privacy.
As Pennsylvanians vote in critical election cycles, LWVPA will continue to call out partisan attempts by lawmakers to question election results. Pennsylvania voters should have faith in our democratic systems and be empowered to make their voices heard at the ballot box.
For more information on this case, click here.
Contact:
Susan Gobreski
Vice President of Policy, League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania
susan.gobreski@palwv.org