Federal Court Dismisses Lawsuit Against Wisconsin's Voter Data Sharing

A federal court dismissed a lawsuit filed by the 1789 Foundation, a far-right group, which sought to prohibit Wisconsin from sharing voter information with the Electronic Registration and Information Center (ERIC). The court also sanctioned the group for filing what it deemed a frivolous lawsuit. The lawsuit claimed Wisconsin violated its Driver’s Privacy and Protection Act by sharing data with ERIC, despite having terminated its membership in 2016. However, the court noted that Wisconsin joined ERIC in 2016 and remains a member. U.S. Judge William Conley stated that the plaintiffs either did not conduct a reasonable inquiry or ignored factual information regarding their claims. The lawsuit also challenged ERIC's practice of contacting eligible but unregistered voters to encourage registration. The 1789 Foundation has filed other lawsuits targeting voter rolls in Arizona and Pennsylvania, both of which were dismissed.