ERIC is not Allowing for Transparency in Colorado’s Elections.
(Alexandria, VA) – December 16, 2021: Today, the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) filed a federal lawsuit against Jena Griswold, the Colorado Secretary of State, for failure to permit inspection of voter list maintenance records, including data the State receives from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), as required by the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).
The Secretary of State claims the state cannot provide these records because of the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act and other laws governing the Social Security death file. Colorado’s membership agreement with ERIC also prohibits member states from disclosing records that are public documents under the NVRA.
The need for transparency is ever more important because ERIC has a history of inaccuracy when it comes to identifying ineligible registrants. Even liberal groups have criticized ERIC. Barbara Arnwine, the former executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, reportedly stated, “ERIC should be called ERROR because it’s that erroneous and that full of flaws.”
The public has a right to these documents detailing the removal of deceased registrants from the voter rolls.
“Colorado is hiding voter list maintenance documents the public is legally entitled to,” said PILF President J. Christian Adams. “Elections must be free and transparent for Americans to trust their results. Secretary Griswold and ERIC are blocking transparency and violating federal law.”
Colorado along with 30 other states and the District of Columbia outsource the maintenance of its voter rolls to a non-profit organization called ERIC. ERIC regularly provides the Colorado Secretary of State with reports showing which registered voters are no longer eligible due to death and relocation. The NVRA says that all records used to add and remove voters are public records. Yet, Secretary of State Griswold denied the Foundation’s request to inspect the reports ERIC provides to her office.
Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) is a 501(c)(3) is the nation’s only public interest law firm dedicated wholly to election integrity. The Foundation exists to assist states and others to aid the cause of election integrity and fight against lawlessness in American elections. Drawing on numerous experts in the field, PILF seeks to protect the right to vote and preserve the Constitutional framework of American elections. PILF has brought lawsuits and won victories in Texas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and across the United States.
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