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Bill would centralize requests for statewide voter database and raise penalties for improper disclosures
Summary
SB 5892 would require requests for reports from the statewide voter registration database to be handled by the Secretary of State rather than county offices, and make knowing improper disclosures a class C felony; testimony emphasized protecting sensitive identifiers while preserving transparency for audits.
Senate Bill 5892 drew testimony from secretaries of state, auditing groups and voting rights organizations on Jan. 20. The bill would prohibit county elections offices from producing certain reports or data pulled from the statewide voter‑registration database and instead require requesters to go to the Secretary of State; it enumerates confidential fields (driver license numbers, state ID numbers, Social Security numbers and full birth dates) and makes knowing violations a class C felony.
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and former Secretary Sam Reed both testified in support, citing federal records requests and the need to centralize and control disclosure of sensitive data. Hobbs noted a recent federal request and said centralized handling reduces the risk of accidental disclosure by individual counties. League of Women Voters, Fix Democracy First and other organizations supported the bill as a voter‑privacy measure that preserves audits while restricting risky disclosures. Several remote witnesses opposed or raised concerns that federal inquiries can be legitimate tools for roll accuracy checks and that limiting access could impede some forms of oversight.
Testimony included personal accounts of misuse, partisan concerns and calls to preserve transparency while strengthening penalties for misuse. The committee closed the hearing without a vote recorded.
