Common Cause Seeks Court Order to Stop Release of Voter Data 

LINCOLN, NE — Common Cause is seeking an immediate stop to Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen’s threat to release sensitive voter data to the federal government.  
 
The request for a temporary restraining order is due to Secretary Evnen’s threat to release the nonpublic voter file to the Department of Justice before a lawsuit filed by Common Cause to stop the file’s release is complete. Secretary Evnen has set a nonsensical date of February 12 to release the data, regardless of the lawsuit’s status at that time.

 “Nebraskans expect all elected leaders to protect their privacy and interests, not the interests of political bosses in Washington, D.C.,” said Gavin Geis, Common Cause’s Nebraska Executive Director. “Secretary Evnen should continue to refrain from giving any private voter data to the DOJ while this case plays out in court. If he can’t withstand the political pressure from Washington, we are asking the court to force him to stop.” 

In September, Common Cause sued Secretary Evnen to prevent him from sharing sensitive information contained in the state voter file with federal officials. The lawsuit argues state officials, not federal officials, should maintain Nebraska election data. Additionally, the lawsuit argued that releasing voters’ sensitive information threatens voter privacy and violates the Nebraska Constitution.  
A court hearing on this case is scheduled for January 29, just weeks before Secretary Evnen’s announced February 12 release date. This means the court may not have issued a final ruling before the Secretary releases the data.