League of Women Voters claims DHS collected sensitive voter data
A national voting organization is alleging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security unlawfully collected Kentucky voter data, including sensitive personal information, while attempting to identify voter fraud, according to a federal lawsuit filed Oct. 15 .
According to the lawsuit filed by the League of Women Voters and Electronic Privacy Information Center in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, a July report from Homeland Security Investigations indicates voter files from Kentucky, along with Missouri, Michigan, New Mexico, Connecticut and Georgia, had been "enriched" by the department's "Innovation Lab."
The lawsuit comes months after a U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit seeking unredacted information on Kentucky voters was dismissed July 23. First launched in 2019, the HSI Innovation Lab is the agency's "centralized hub for the development of new advanced analytics capabilities, tools and enhanced business processes for HSI."
According to whistleblower reports referenced in the lawsuit, DHS's "enrichment efforts" have allowed the department to maintain highly sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, even when statewide voter registration lists would not reveal such information. The lawsuit claims the "enriched" lists do not include citizenship data for voters and are not limited to suspected noncitizen voters.
An internal email from May 26 stated "iLab's processing focuses on DOJ voting rolls and USCIS data," and that "[c]oordination with iLab continues, particularly on ingesting processed voter roll data into the ELITE enforcement system to enhance lead management, analytical review and investigative tracking." According to the lawsuit, ELITE was created by technology company Palantir and is used by DHS to identify, "and in some cases locate," targets for U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement operations.
The July 6 HSI report described the status of "iLab State Processing" and said that voter files from Kentucky "have been enriched by the iLab." According to a whistleblower report, DHS employees were told that additional voter data was to be added through "supplemental magic."
A spokesperson for Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This story may be updated to include additional information.
Reach reporter Lillian Metzmeier at lmetzmeier@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: League of Women Voters claims DHS collected sensitive voter data
