Raffensperger sues DOJ, alleging request for voting law records was ignored

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice (DOJ), seeking to enforce a public records request he filed earlier this year for communications between the department and various voting rights groups.

In August, Raffensperger filed the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for communications the DOJ had with voting rights groups and entities such as prominent Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Common Cause and the Campaign Legal Center.

The request was filed a few months after the DOJ sued Georgia over its controversial new voting rights law that enacted various restrictions on voting, which critics argued disproportionately affected Black citizens. The department is arguing that Georgia’s election law violates prohibitions on discrimination based on race, color or membership in a language minority group.

Raffensperger’s office said in a statement that the suit was being filed in order to obtain “any contact the federal agency may have had with prominent liberal groups regarding the Biden Administration’s quest to overturn Georgia’s common-sense election reforms.”

“Considering how blatantly political the Biden lawsuit against Georgia’s commonsense election law was from the beginning, it’s no surprise they would stonewall our request for basic transparency,” Raffensperger said. “I will always fight for truth and integrity in Georgia’s elections.”

According to Raffensperger, his office received “confirmation of receipt” of the communications, but was not provided with “responsive documents or information.” The Georgia election official is claiming that the DOJ’s actions, or lack thereof, are in violation of federal law.

The Hill has reached out to Raffensperger’s office and the DOJ for further comment on the suit.