By Barbara Hoberock, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY – Thirty-four lawmakers are asking Oklahoma’s high court to prevent a state agency from providing driver’s license information to a Virginia-based nonprofit.
The lawmakers, including Sen. Kendal Sacchieri, R-Blanchard, are asking the Oklahoma Supreme Court to prevent Service Oklahoma from sharing driver’s license data with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.
The Virginia-based nonprofit operates a technology platform that is used by 44 states and allows officials to cross-check driver’s license information to determine if motorists have active driver’s licenses in other states.
Service Oklahoman intends to give the nonprofit access to some driver’s license information, including names, dates of birth and partial social security numbers, in mid-February. Driver photos and biometric information will not be exchanged.
Sacchieri and the other lawmakers filed a lawsuit late Tuesday to block the data sharing.
“Once transmitted, the data cannot be retrieved from AAMVA’s system or from other states that may access or rely upon the record,” the lawsuit said. “The transmission therefore creates irreparable injury to statutory rights, constitutional structure, and personal-data privacy that cannot be remedied after the fact.”
The agency’s decision was not authorized by the Legislature, the suit said.
The lawsuit asks the Oklahoma Supreme Court to prohibit the information from being shared and find that the agency may not share the information absent legislative authorization.
Service Oklahoma said it could not comment on the lawsuit, but said the system, more commonly known as State-to-State or S2S, is used exclusively by state driver’s licensing agencies and does not allow federal access.
Service Oklahoma is permitted to share records with other states as part of routine license administration, the agency said.
The system does not store or centralize full records, the agency said.
By the end of 2026, Service Oklahoma said 48 states are expected to utilize the system, which has been in existence for two decades.
Oklahoma provides residents with the option to either obtain a federally-compliant REAL ID license or one that is non-compliant. A REAL ID license, which contains a gold star in the upper right corner, signifies that it meets minimum federal security standards.
Oklahoma’s non-compliant licenses allow motorists to drive within the state, but are not recognized to access federal property or to fly domestically.
Sacchieri said the suit is aimed at stopping the transfer of any information, but especially the information of those who sought a non-compliant license.
She said the association is private, but works with and is an arm of the Department of Homeland Security.
Sen. Mary Boren, D-Norman, is among the plaintiffs seeking to block the sharing of information.
“We just can’t trust the federal government right now,” Boren said.
She said the state should keep the promises made to its residents and keep the information private.
