A Wisconsin Republican lawmaker is contesting the state’s involvement in a national voter registration database, alleging it violates state law and the constitution.
State Rep. Janel Brandtjen filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) over the state’s membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). The suit claims Wisconsin’s legal mandate to maintain an official registration list through ERIC lacks proper authorization, as the WEC never formalized an agreement with the database.
The lawsuit contends that the current partnership dates back to a 2016 agreement between ERIC and the now-defunct Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (GAB). Brandtjen argues that the agreement should not extend to the WEC, but the agency has continued sharing voter data, including both active and inactive records, with ERIC.
A key point in the lawsuit is a 2023 constitutional amendment prohibiting the use of private election funds, a reaction to donations made by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s group during the 2020 election. Brandtjen asserts that ERIC has been sharing data with the Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR), the organization responsible for distributing Zuckerberg’s donations. According to Brandtjen, this violates a constitutional provision that bars non-government entities from participating in election activities.
Brandtjen is asking the court to rule against WEC’s continued use of ERIC, stop any data sharing, and recover voter information from ERIC and CEIR.
Read the lawsuit here.
