It’s not shocking to say the least that the Kamala Harris campaign would act unethically. But now they’ve been caught in the act.
And the Harris campaign is under investigation for this unlawful security breach.
A recent text message from Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, targeting college students at Arizona’s public universities, has sparked data-privacy concerns and a state Senate investigation.
Over the weekend, students and others with connections to Arizona State University (ASU), the University of Arizona (UA), and Northern Arizona University (NAU) received messages reminding them about the voter registration deadline, which was Monday.
One version of the text read: “As an Arizona State University student, you can register and vote in Arizona. Register to vote at your on or off campus housing address today.”
In Arizona, college students can legally register to vote using their dorm addresses, as long as they aren’t registered elsewhere, even if they are technically out-of-state students.
All three public universities have confirmed that student-directory information can be released through the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Students, however, have the option to withhold their data. According to what an ASU spokesperson told the New York Post, this law also allows political campaigns to access that information.
“The contact information of enrolled students (including their cell phone numbers) is a matter of public record. This is not ASU policy,” the spokesperson explained.
“Under FERPA, it is considered ‘directory information,’ along with other basic information like the student’s major, dates of attendance, and enrollment status. It is common for entities that want to advertise to ASU students to request this publicly available contact information — everything from apartment complexes, to credit cards, to political candidates.”
NAU echoed this statement. “We receive these types of requests many times throughout the year, and the requestor must pay for the data they ask for,” said Kimberly Ott, NAU’s Associate Vice President for Communications.
Similarly, the University of Arizona said, “Organizations can request directory information through the University of Arizona Office of Public Records. Under federal law, directory information is not considered private unless students opt to withhold it from public disclosure.”
Despite these clarifications, some Republicans are questioning whether this data should be used for political messaging. State Senator Jake Hoffman announced that he would be launching an investigation into the matter, tweeting that it’s illegal “for political campaigns to access personally identifiable information (PII) of public university students within AZ.”
🚨KAMALA EXPLOITS PRIVATE STUDENT DATA FOR CAMPAIGN
— Jake Hoffman (@JakeHoffmanAZ) October 7, 2024
It is ILLEGAL for political campaigns to access personally identifiable information (PII) of public university students within AZ.
This is a MAJOR security breach!
I will be opening a full Senate investigation immediately. https://t.co/mfYFrQ6met
Hoffman claimed, “I was made aware of this breach of security by dozens of students today and intend to throw the full weight of the Arizona Senate into ascertaining how the Harris campaign acquired these students’ legally protected personally identifiable information.”
The Harris campaign has not commented on the matter, leaving it unclear whether the data was obtained directly from university registrars or through a third-party vendor. The University of Arizona stated it had not received a request for directory information from the Harris campaign.
In response to Republican concerns, Democratic strategist Tony Cani posted on X, “I know Republicans in AZ are ages behind when it comes to modern campaigning, but their ignorance doesn’t excuse this absolute lie that a text message like this asking students to register to vote is 1) election interference and 2) somehow against the law.”
The timing of the text messages is notable as early voting in Arizona begins Wednesday. Both the Harris and Trump campaigns are heavily active in the state this week.
Former President Donald Trump holds a narrow 1.4% polling average lead, according to RealClearPolitics.
Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to visit Arizona on Friday, and dueling campaign events will take place in Tucson on Wednesday, with Ohio Senator J.D. Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz rallying voters on behalf of their respective candidates.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
