Secretary of State Monae Johnson said on Aug. 1 that the inclusion of information about a voter’s source of registration in a public database was inadvertent and has since been removed from the database.
Johnson’s office has been criticized for releasing a voter registration database that disclosed the identities of voters who had registered at a public assistance agency, with the ACLU of South Dakota alleging that the SDSOS was violating federal and state laws.
“As Secretary of State, I take full responsibility for the release of this information. My office is committed to both transparency and protecting voter privacy,” said Johnson in a press release. “Upon discovering the issue, we acted immediately to remove the data and prevent further dissemination.”
Johnson said in the release that the information has been removed, and that voters who registered through such an agency and had that info revealed would be notified. She also said that county auditors and others who have accessed the information have been contacted and asked to delete it.
More: Secretary of State criticized for database linking voters to public assistance
But Johnson also pushed back on the idea that the information was directly identifying recipients of programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
“We want to emphasize a critical point,” Johnson said in the release. “Just because someone registers to vote at a public assistance agency does not mean that they are receiving benefits.”
The ACLU’s letter, sent on July 31, said that they didn’t believe that was their only concern, writing that “by publicly identifying which voters registered at public assistance offices your office is in violation of both state and federal law.”
There's no guarantee that Johnson's apology for the matter will conclude it.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said in a statement, “Due to overall concerns about House Bill 1062, I have appointed separate counsel for the secretary of state and legislators to discuss the issues.”
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota Secretary of State apologizes for disclosing voter data
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