1. United States
2. Utah
3. Letter

I am writing to express my strong support for Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson's decision to refuse the Department of Justice's demand for Utah voter data, even in the face of a federal lawsuit. On January 27, I sent a formal demand letter to Lt. Governor Henderson invoking my constitutional privacy rights and urging her to reject the DOJ's Memorandum of Understanding for voter data sharing. I cited violations of the Tenth Amendment, the Privacy Act of 1974, the Fourth Amendment, and Utah law. On February 27, Henderson confirmed that her office had not provided sensitive voter data to the Department of Justice. The very next day, news broke that she is being sued for that principled refusal. Eight other states quietly surrendered millions of voters' driver's license numbers and partial Social Security numbers to federal authorities. Federal courts in California, Oregon, and Michigan have now ruled this data collection unlawful, meaning those eight states violated their citizens' constitutional rights for a demand that had no legal basis. Lt. Governor Henderson chose a different path. By standing firm, Henderson upheld her oath to the Constitution and protected the privacy rights of every Utah voter. She defended rights that other states surrendered, and she is on the right side of the law. As a Utah voter, I am proud that my state refused to trade constitutional rights for political expediency. I urge you to publicly support Lt. Governor Henderson's decision and to take any legislative action necessary to protect Utah voters' data from unlawful federal overreach. Her principled stand deserves the backing of Utah's elected officials and the gratitude of every citizen who values constitutional protections over political pressure.