LANSING — The Michigan House of Representatives on Nov. 4 adopted House Resolution 196, a declaration urging Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to provide the U.S. Department of Justice an unredacted copy of Michigan’s computerized statewide voter registration list, also known as the qualified voter file.

Representative Luke Fox, sponsor of the resolution, told the House the measure is a declaration ‘‘that the Michigan House of Representatives stands with the Department of Justice’’ and said the request is intended to verify the accuracy of Michigan’s voter rolls ahead of future elections. ‘‘If, and I say if, there’s nothing wrong with a qualified voter file, there should be nothing to hide,’’ Fox said on the floor.

Representative Cerner Glue opposed the resolution, arguing the DOJ request ‘‘directly violates state and federal privacy laws’’ and would expose Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers and other private information that could open Michigan citizens to identity theft. ‘‘The federal government has absolutely no authority over voter registration,’’ Cerner Glue said. ‘‘There is absolutely no reason the department needs our Social Security numbers, our driver’s license numbers, and other private voter information.’’

Floor action included the adoption of an amendment identified as Amendment 1 before the roll call. After debate the House adopted the resolution by voice vote; the clerk then opened the board for electronic cosponsorship signatures. The resolution’s text asks the state’s chief election official to execute statutory duties by releasing an unredacted copy of the qualified voter file to the extent permitted by law.

The resolution does not itself compel the Secretary of State to release records; it expresses the sense of the House and urges compliance with the DOJ request. The debate on the chamber floor highlighted a split between members who framed the issue as one of transparency and election integrity and those who framed it as a matter of privacy and statutory limits on data sharing.

Provenance: Transcript statements supporting and opposing the resolution appear beginning at 01:32:46 and concluding at 01:39:32, per the clerk’s reading and members’ floor remarks.