S. F. No. 3482 modifies access to and dissemination of the presidential primary political party list. Under current law, the secretary of state must maintain a list of voters who voted at the presidential nomination primary and the party each voter selected; the information on the list is private data but the list must be provided to the chair of each major political party.

The bill prohibits the chair of a major political party from disseminating data on the list except for uses related to elections and political activities. The data may only be disseminated to: (1) persons designated by the chair; or (2) to the party’s national committee. Anyone that receives the data from the chair must not disseminate the data further. Any person who violates this subdivision is subject to civil remedies and criminal penalties under the Data Practices Act, including an action for damages to collect any damages sustained, plus costs and reasonable attorney fees. In the event of a willful violation, a petitioner may collect exemplary damages of at least $1,000 and up to $15,000 per violation. A person who willfully violates this subdivision is guilty of a misdemeanor.

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