Tuesday, September 2, 2014

US judge: Voters' birthdates are not public record - Mississippi News Now

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS

Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A federal judge has ruled against a Texas-based group that sought access to Mississippi voters' birthdates after a disputed Republican primary for Senate.


U.S. District Judge Nancy Atlas ruled neither poll books nor absentee ballot applications are subject to public disclosure under a 1993 federal law. The group, True the Vote, claimed they were.


Atlas ruled Friday that disclosing voters' birthdates "raises serious concerns" about privacy, particularly if dates were released with full names and current addresses.


Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann says Atlas' ruling protects privacy.


True the Vote filed suit in July while seeking Mississippi election records after the June 24 Republican primary runoff. Chris McDaniel filed a separate lawsuit challenging his loss to incumbent Thad Cochran, and a judge dismissed it last week.


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