Bartlesville Radio: The area’s best source for news, weather and sports!

The U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division sues the State of Oklahoma for access to voter registration.

The federal lawsuit was filed Thursday against Oklahoma and four other states for failing to produce full voter registration lists upon the Department of Justice’s request.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi says she is uniquely charged by Congress with broad authority to request election records under the Civil Rights Act of 1960. Bondi claims the Act allows her to demand the production, inspection and analysis of statewide voter registration.

The Oklahoma Election Board previously provided Oklahoma’s publicly available voter information, but recently notified the Department of Justice that state law barred them from sharing the other requested data, including Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers.

In addition to Oklahoma, the most recent states sued by the Department of Justice include Utah, Kentucky, West Virginia and New Jersey. Thursday’s action brings the total to 29 states and the District of Columbia who have been sued by Bondi’s department for access to voter information.