COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Senate Democrats today announced that Senate Democratic Leader Brad Hutto has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the South Carolina State Election Commission seeking records related to election security, voter registration integrity, cybersecurity, and coordination with federal agencies since January 1, 2020.
The request seeks communications between the State Election Commission and agencies including the U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the CIA, and the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC). It also requests records regarding the identification of potentially ineligible voter registrations, any related referrals to law enforcement, agreements with the Department of Justice, and records involving actual or suspected foreign cyber threats to South Carolina's election infrastructure.
"The integrity of our elections depends on transparency and public confidence," said Senate Democratic Leader Brad Hutto. "South Carolinians deserve to know how our election officials are working with state and federal partners to protect our voting systems, respond to potential security threats, and ensure that our elections remain secure. This request is about obtaining the facts and reinforcing public trust through openness."
The FOIA request covers records created between January 1, 2020, and the date the request is received and asks the Election Commission to provide documents concerning election security, voter registration integrity, cybersecurity incidents, and any agreements or communications with federal agencies regarding election administration.
The Senate Democratic Caucus believes that public confidence in elections is strengthened when government agencies operate transparently and provide timely access to public records as required by South Carolina law.