Arizona has settled a lawsuit with a national voting-rights group, resulting in an agreement that allows the public to access voter information at a much lower cost. The settlement between Project Vote and the state was finalized late last week. Electronic access to the voter rolls will be available to the public at a cost of a few hundred dollars rather than thousands. For example, the price of obtaining the state’s database of about 3.6 million voters will drop from about $30,000 to around $500. Project Vote, a national nonpartisan voting-rights advocacy organization, sued the state, Maricopa County and Pima County to challenge the cost of acquiring voter-registration data after receiving bills for tens of thousands of dollars. Political parties get the same information for free, as is required by state law.
Maricopa County settled its lawsuit in March, while Pima County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez said she was still considering whether to settle the suit as well. She said she disagreed with how the secretary of state has handled the lawsuit.
The state Legislature this year passed House Bill 2412, which limited the amounts counties could charge, in advance of settling the lawsuit. Pima County couldn’t charge a higher amount, even if it doesn’t settle.
Full Article: Arizona settles lawsuit making voter-registration data more affordable.