South Dakota bill would remove date of birth from voter registration data
A bill proposed by the South Dakota Board of Elections would remove dates of birth from voter registration data. The reason is to prevent identity theft, according to a
story in the (Sioux Falls) Argus Leader. No evidence is given that identity thieves have used voter registration data for their devious deeds, but it sure will make it difficult for journalists and others to separate John Smiths from each other. According to the
FTC Identity Theft Web site, by far the major source of information from identity thieves comes from business documents and theft of mail and purses/wallets, not public records. I've looked at the FTC Identity Theft data, and public records just are not a prime source for thieves. I've also surveyed public records custodians on the issue and I encountered only once instance of someone using information out of public records to cause identity theft - and that was an attorney who was out to get his ex-wife and knew his way about court records. While there are probably anecdotes out there of thieves getting personal information from public records, closing off the information for legitimate public uses isn't the solution. Target the criminals, make it harder for them to open up credit card accounts with flimsy bits of information, and increase penalties. If government takes away our public records, only identity thieves will have public records!