LANSING, MI – LANSING, Mich. (AP) - The Michigan Court of Appeals says the secretary of state's office can't refuse to show individual voting records from the state's 2008 presidential primary to an East Lansing political consultant.
By a 2-1 vote, the court said in an opinion released Wednesday that Mark Grebner of Practical Political Consulting can see the votes because they're public records under the state's Freedom of Information Act.
Judges William Whitbeck and Stephen Borrello upheld Grebner's rights to the voting records. Judge Kirsten Frank Kelly dissented. She says the public's interest is outweighed by the voters' right to privacy.
Election officials kept track of presidential primary voters' names and whether they took Democratic or GOP ballots. That information normally is private.