CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A federal judge has dismissed a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit seeking access to unredacted West Virginia voter registration records, ending months of legal dispute over whether the state was required to release confidential voter information.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia ruled that the DOJ’s request for unredacted data lacked any indication that the state was suspected of violating federal voter‑list maintenance requirements or that anomalies existed in its voter rolls.
Secretary of State Kris Warner called the decision “an important victory for the rule of law [and] voter privacy,” saying West Virginia’s position had always been rooted in state law that prohibits releasing sensitive personal information without clear legal authority.
“Today’s ruling confirms that our position was well‑founded and consistent with both our statutory obligations and our responsibility to protect the personal information of West Virginia’s registered voters,” Warner said.
He added that the state remains committed to maintaining accurate voter rolls and working with federal officials, noting that the disagreement centered on the DOJ’s method of obtaining data—not the underlying goal of ensuring only eligible voters remain registered.
Warner, West Virginia’s chief election official, said the decision reinforces the state’s responsibility to safeguard voter information while upholding both state and federal election laws.
