A website that provides public access to official government data pertaining to elections is questioning an organization about whether voter registration maintenance is performed effectively.
According to the Voter Reference Foundation (VRF), the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) is a company that consists of 31 states and Washington D.C., which helps states to detect possible duplicate records or disqualified voters on their lists. VRF believes there are loopholes in their process.
In a blog post from VRF, Executive Director Gina Swoboda says a lack of transparency has, in some cases, prevented the public and election integrity advocacy organizations from carrying out the oversight of voter list maintenance that the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) calls for.
The state of Louisiana suspended its participation in ERIC this past January.
“When Louisiana joined ERIC under my predecessor, we did so under the impression that it would enhance the accuracy of our voter rolls and strengthen Louisiana’s election integrity,” Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin (R) said, according to a State of Louisiana news release. “After reading about these allegations and speaking with election attorneys and experts, I have determined that it may no longer be in Louisiana’s best interests to participate in this organization. It is vital that any legitimate allegation of voter fraud or possible misuse of our voters’ personal information is investigated. My job is to ensure that the data voters entrust to my office is protected. I look forward to ERIC’s swift response to these allegations.”
According to October 2021 data, Nevada is one of ERIC’s member states.
States provide ERIC with the records regarding drivers’ license/identification and registration while providing relevant current data when available. However, Swoboda says there is a lack of transparency within the program. She says ERIC is holding a plethora of information on voters and potential voters, and she says the company needs to disclose who they share that information with.
In her blog post, Swoboda also notes that the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) is involved in a lawsuit, which aims to get ERIC to allow states to make public maintenance reports. PILF has confirmed that this would be in conflict with the National Voter Registration Act’s Public Disclosure provision.
VRF maintains that since members of ERIC are government entities, they have to adhere to public record, NVRA record and FOIA requests to view their lists.
