Secretary of State Criticized for Database Linking Voters to Public Assistance

S.D. election office publishes voter list labeling thousands as public assistance applicants

South Dakota Searchlight: Thousands of South Dakotans have been publicly labeled as applicants for government assistance and thousands more have had their email address and phone number exposed, due to a new state law and the way the state’s election…

Secretary of state apologizes for sharing list labeling thousands as public assistance applicants

South Dakota’s secretary of state is taking responsibility for the release of sensitive voter registration data, after her office published a spreadsheet that labeled thousands of residents as having registered to vote at government assistance agencies. “As Secretary of State, I take full responsibility for the release of this information. My office is committed to both transparency and protecting voter privacy,” Secretary of State Monae Johnson…

Secretary of State criticized for database linking voters to public assistance

The ACLU of South Dakota says the information puts the office squarely in violation of state and federal laws.

Secretary of State Johnson in deep doo-doo – South DaCola

Besides breaking state and federal laws, you have to question if she acted alone; On July 31, The ACLU of South Dakota sent a letter (see attached) to the Secretary of State’s office demanding they remove publicly available copies of the statewide voter registration file that make it possible to identify which voters registered at public assistance offices while applying for assistance programs. On August 1, the Secretary of State’s office comp…

SD Secretary Of State Apologizes For Sharing List Labeling Thousands As Public Assistance Applicants

South Dakota’s secretary of state is taking responsibility for the release of sensitive voter registration data, after her office published a spreadsheet that labeled thousands of residents as having registered to vote at government assistance agencies.

Secretary of State's Office apologizes for identifying welfare recipients

The Secretary of State’s Office apologized Friday for unintentionally releasing the identities of people potentially on government assistance programs, a violation of federal and state privacy laws.The information was included when Johnson’s office sought to comply with a new state law requiring the secretary of state to make the statewide voter registration list available to the public free of charge and accessible via her office’s web site. Pr…