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Nebraska Prepares to Release Voter Data to Federal Government

Compliance and Regulatory Technology

Business Honor
11 Febuary, 2026

State Officials Defend Voter Roll Verification amid Privacy Concerns and Federal Oversight.

Nebraska's Secretary of State Bob Evnen has said he will provide Voter Information to the U.S. Department of Justice on February 12, 2018; this has caused much discussion over both Voter Privacy and Federal Oversight. The purpose of the requested data is to comply with federal laws about registering voters. It has generated a lot of discussion among state officials as well as legal Privacy Advocates because of the recent increase in Immigrant population to verify whether Voter Registrations are proper and to ensure only eligible voters are maintained on the rolls from which Federal Elections will be held.

Geis of Common Cause characterizes the request as overstepping Federal Authority. He expressed concern about additional privacy concerns regarding the shared data (the Court has ruled against the organization for their previous lawsuit for the data request, but there are still unanswered questions concerning the sharing of the data). Some of the requested data includes; the last four digits of the Voter's Social Security Number, their Driver's License Number (or ID), and their exact date of birth. David O'Leary from the State of Nebraska has also expressed concerns about Privacy; however, Nirnimesh Ghose from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is confident that the Government will keep the database safe and secure.

Nebraska’s Secretary of State Bob Evnen has said that the U.S. Department of Justice has assured Nebraskans’ adherence to all privacy statutes. Evnen reiterated that this release of data was being made in order to ensure compliance with federal election laws and improve overall accuracy on the state’s voter rolls. The controversy surrounding the release of this information illustrates the tension between federal authority over elections and how states manage their own elections.