Federal court dismisses 'election integrity' group's lawsuit over Pa. election rolls

Pennsylvania’s ban on publishing publicly accessible voter data on the internet doesn’t conflict with federal election law or the First Amendment, a federal judge in Harrisburg ruled this week.

U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Saporito Jr. granted summary judgment Thursday, ruling in favor of Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt before trial. Saporito rejected most arguments by a nonprofit election integrity group with ties to a Trump-aligned billionaire GOP megadonor that sued over the commonwealth’s policy.

The Voter Reference Foundation (VRF) sued Schmidt in 2024 alleging the Department of State violated the National Voter Registration Act and the First Amendment guarantee of free speech by refusing to provide the state’s voter rolls after the group refused to agree to the internet sharing ban.

Schmidt said in a statement Friday that he is pleased the federal court recognized the department’s reasonable restriction on publishing the commonwealth’s voter list does not violate federal law.



https://penncapital-star.com/campaigns-elections/federal-court-dismisses-election-integrity-groups-lawsuit-over-pa-election-rolls/