The following op-ed was published in The Huntington Herald-Dispatch on March 28, 2026.

State lawmakers, led by Sen. Mike Azinger, R-Wood, and Del. Daniel Linville, R-Cabell, recently took action to curb doxing and political harassment by closing one of West Virginia’s biggest privacy loopholes.

Until now, West Virginians who donate to political candidates had their home address, including the precise street name and number, and employer published by the state. The data may seem harmless, but in today’s charged political climate, it’s an invitation to abuse. Donors can be targeted at home, at work, or online simply for exercising their constitutional right to support a campaign.

Thankfully, under S.B. 640, signed into law by Governor Patrick Morrisey, this sensitive personal information will now be redacted on public reports. The state will still collect the information, and the names, amounts, occupations, cities, and zip codes of individual donors will still be publicly available. The law simply aims to protect West Virginians from confrontations at their homes and workplaces over their political contributions.

Rising political violence and the evolution of the internet and social media have forced states to rethink laws that expose home addresses. California, Texas, and Wyoming already require that individual donors’ street addresses not be published in campaign finance databases. The Federal Election Commission, the bipartisan agency tasked with enforcing federal campaign finance laws, has urged Congress to pass similar reforms.

“Many Americans don’t realize that a small political contribution can result in their home address being posted online,” wrote Democratic FEC Commissioner Dara Lindenbaum in September. “I worry about a victim of domestic violence escaping an abusive relationship and relocating to a trusted family member’s home, only to be tracked down using her donor data — or a divorce attorney who assists that victim meeting the same fate.”

Many disclosure laws predate the internet systems that have since made the data instantaneously available to anyone on the planet. When records sat in paper files behind a government desk, the public still had access to them, but they were harder to abuse. In the world of smartphones and social media, the calculus for disclosure of such detailed personal information should change.

We have seen the horrific consequences of allowing political violence to reach our doorsteps. Last year, Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were murdered at their home. Vice President JD Vance, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, among others, have all suffered attacks on their homes in recent years.

Political leaders are not the only ones at risk. Increasingly, it seems any level of engagement with the political process can make you a target. Local elected officials, poll workers, and nonprofit advocacy groups have all borne the brunt of rising threats and intimidation.

Rather than wait for the next tragedy, West Virginia lawmakers decided to be proactive in passing S.B. 640 to protect every citizen’s right to support candidates and causes. The law should serve as a model for other states. After all, doxing and political violence are national problems.

Campaign finance laws represent an especially outdated blotch on today’s already beleaguered privacy landscape. As bitterness and hate continue to plague our politics, updating these laws is essential. If states want to stop doxing, they should follow West Virginia’s lead and reform the laws that dox citizens for participating in campaigns.

Heather Lauer is the CEO of People United for Privacy Foundation, a nonprofit that defends the First Amendment rights of all Americans, regardless of their beliefs, to come together in support of their shared values.