Never mind: Group on crusade against unregistered voters drops suit against Boston Elections Department

By adamg on Mon, 03/04/2024 - 11:53am

The Public Interest Legal Foundation of Arlington, VA, which is convinced large numbers of unregistered people are voting, today dropped its lawsuit demanding a data dump of all of Boston's voter registration records, just four days after it filed it.

The group's filing, in US District Court in Boston, does not explain the change of heart, but says it was doing so "voluntarily," which means it's reserving the right to re-file it at any moment.

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Comments

The law should be changed

By BostonDog on Mon, 03/04/2024 - 12:08pm.

Anyone requesting the data should be prohibited from contacting (directly or indirectly) the people on the voter rolls unless the voter specifically grants that permission when registering with the default selection being, "Do not contact".

LOL

By cybah on Mon, 03/04/2024 - 12:36pm.

But that would mean political campaigns would have to comply with this also, and that'll never happen.

When you start to look at Voter data and the rules surrounding its usage, you begin to realize its very slanted toward politicians. Things like "Do not call lists" or laws that apply to spammers.. do not apply to political campaigns.

Even "No Soliciting" signs that you hang on front door to prevent sales people... the law does not include Politician Campaigns from refraining to ring your door bell. They can and will do so.

They even share your voting data and records with other campaigns. I do not give to political campaigns most of the time, but last year I gave to one. Now I get emails from candidates from all across the country now... and there's nothing I can do except "unsubscribe" from them. but it doesn't stop them from giving my contact info to another campaign to spam from.

Campaign laws clearly are designed to favor the candidate, not the voter. But when the people who run campaigns are also the same people who make voter laws.. yeah they are gonna slant it in their direction.

Spamming politicians

By Anony-mouse on Mon, 03/04/2024 - 1:05pm.

I rarely give to any politician, and especially if they use Act Blue, because they’re insane with the spam.

Yeah

By BostonDog on Mon, 03/04/2024 - 1:09pm.

I should have started my post with, "It's a pipe dream, but..."

It's almost impossible to create laws to limit what politicians can do if it's something majority of them utilize. They aren't going to voluntarily give up something that helps them. (See also, the generous "travel allowances" they give themselves.)

The law for turning over

By Don't Panic on Tue, 03/05/2024 - 12:34am.

The law for turning over Voter Information is very specific in Massachusetts already. It is obvious to me that this group did not bother to do any research and already held a tainted set of beliefs that they somehow had the authority to make this request. They did not.

Not the first time

By Daan on Mon, 03/04/2024 - 11:51pm.

This is not the first time the organization used the method of law suit to be a pain, only to go, "Whoops, our mistake."