SSN Policy Manual

Policy Manual

Sue the Bureaucrats Greidinger v. Davis, 988 F.2d 1344 (U. S. Court of Appeals, 4thCircuitjAs a consequence of registering to vote in the Commonwealth of Virginia (Virginia), a registered voter's Social Security number (SSN) is subject to public inspection in the Office of the General Registrar and provided upon request to, among other entities, political parties as part of voter registration lists. Applying strict scrutiny, the district court held that these provisions of Virginia's voter registration scheme do not violate appellant's fundamental right to vote. Greidinger v. Davis, 782 F. Supp. 1106 (E.D. Va. 1992). We now reverse. . .. In summary, we hold ... that ... the public disclosure of Greidinger's SSN as a condition of his right to vote. It creates an intolerable burden on that right as protected by the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Accordingly, the judgment of the district court is reversed. We remand the case to the district court to give the Commonwealth of Virginia the responsibility to cure this constitutional infirmity by either deleting the requirement that a registrant disclose his SSN or eliminating the use of SSNs in voter registration records open to public inspection and contained in voter registration lists provided to candidates for election, political party committees and officials, incumbent office holders, and non-profit organizations which promote voter participation and registration. Also, when Nevada's Clark County Registrar of Voters Kathryn Ferguson refused to let 18-year-old Joshua Hansen register to vote because he said he didn't have a social security number, Joshua sued. Clark County District Court Judge, Gene Porter ruled against the County Registrar of Voters requirement on Oct. 26, 1998 and Joshua voted in the election. Schools Schools often ask for a child's social security number as a matter of policy or habit. There is no law requiring a student to have a social security number to participate in public or private school. In fact, the law prohibits such a requirement. Section 7 of Public Law 93-579, as enacted by the Congress of the United States reads that: (a)(l) It shall be unlawful for any Federal, State or local government agency to deny to any individual any right, benefit, or privilege provided by law because of such individual's refusal to disclose his social security account number. When you complete an enrollment application for your child, leave any space that asks for a social security number blank. If they ask for a social security number, tell the school that neither you nor your child has one. Serve a copy of the Notice Regarding Disclosure of Social Security Number card, provided at the beginning of this section on the person receiving the application if they tell you that they cannot process your application. This serves to notify them that they will be held personally and criminally liable for violating the law and for violating your rights. Given this notice, they will usually process the enrollment.