Marx v. County of San Francisco, et al.

On June 19, 2025, Shiloh Marx filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, seeking a writ of mandate to compel the City and County of San Francisco and John Arntz, Director of Elections, to comply with the California Public Records Act (CPRA). The lawsuit alleges that the defendants violated the CPRA and the California Constitution by failing to fully disclose voter registration statistics requested on March 7, 2025, specifically data on inactive voter registrations and their voting activity in federal elections.

The CPRA request, clarified on March 17, 2025, sought information to assess election integrity and ensure compliance with the National Voter Registration Act. The defendants provided a partial response on March 17, 2025, but withheld the requested data without legal justification, despite the plaintiff’s clarification. This failure is alleged to breach the CPRA’s mandatory disclosure requirements, as established in City of San Jose v. Superior Court (2017) and other precedents, which require prompt and transparent access to public records unless a specific exemption applies.

The lawsuit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief to affirm the defendants’ violation and compel the release of the withheld voter data. It underscores the public’s right to access government records, as protected by the California Constitution and federal law, to promote transparency in election administration.