Public Record
Surveillance, Privacy and Andy Harris
He markets himself as a barrier between you and “big government.” His voting record repeatedly expands warrantless surveillance powers, weakens privacy reforms, and supports broad data sharing with limited oversight.
What Harris says publicly
In public statements about freedom, government overreach, and constitutional values, Andy Harris routinely presents himself as a defender of individual liberty.
His messaging emphasizes:
- Opposition to “big government”
- Protection of personal freedom
- Fidelity to the Constitution
- Skepticism of federal overreach
The implication is intentional: Harris wants voters to believe he stands between ordinary Americans and an intrusive federal government.
Voting record
Where Harris has supported civil liberties and privacy
Our research did not identify votes or actions where Harris supported civil liberties or privacy protections in the context of surveillance. Actions he has described as privacy-based — such as opposing vaccine immunization registries and firearm tracing databases — are documented below as public health and public safety concerns.
Where Harris has opposed surveillance oversight
Opposed vaccine immunization tracking systems that support public health disease prevention
Harris has opposed federal vaccine tracking and immunization registry systems, framing them as government surveillance. In reality, immunization information systems (IIS) are a standard bipartisan public health tool — every U.S. state operates one, as coordinated by the CDC. They help healthcare providers avoid duplicate dosing, allow schools and public health officials to monitor vaccination coverage, and are essential to detecting and containing disease outbreaks. Blocking such systems does not protect privacy — it weakens the country's ability to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases and respond to public health emergencies. Harris is a physician who is aware of how these systems function and what they are used for. (Source: Wikipedia — Andy Harris; CDC — Immunization Information Systems)
Challenged COVID-19 public health orders as "overreach" while promoting unproven treatments
Harris repeatedly challenged state and federal COVID-19 emergency health measures — including mask requirements and gathering limits — as government overreach, while simultaneously promoting hydroxychloroquine as a COVID treatment despite the absence of supporting clinical evidence and explicit opposition from the NIH and WHO. He urged Maryland to reopen before public health conditions supported it and opposed stay-at-home orders during an active pandemic that killed over one million Americans. Undermining public health guidance during a public health emergency is not a civil liberties position — it has measurable consequences for community health and lives. (Source: Wikipedia — Andy Harris)
Opposed federal firearm tracing databases used by law enforcement to solve gun crimes
Harris cosponsored legislation prohibiting federal funding for state firearm ownership databases. Gun tracing databases — maintained by the ATF — are a primary tool law enforcement uses to connect firearms recovered at crime scenes to their chain of ownership, helping solve shootings and murders. A 2020 report found Maryland had the highest rate in the country of crime guns that originated from other states, underscoring the importance of cross-state tracing systems. Limiting these databases makes it harder for law enforcement to investigate gun crimes, including those affecting Eastern Shore communities. (Source: Congress.gov — Harris cosponsorships; Montgomery County OLO — Maryland firearms trace data)
Voted to reauthorize warrantless surveillance provisions (Section 702)
Harris voted to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows warrantless collection of communications data involving U.S. persons — a provision that civil liberties organizations across the political spectrum have challenged as overreach. (Source: GovTrack — Harris votes)
Voted against requiring warrants for domestic surveillance data
Harris voted against amendments that would have required law enforcement to obtain a warrant before accessing surveillance data collected on American citizens under national security programs. (Source: GovTrack — Harris votes)
Supported broad border surveillance infrastructure without privacy guardrails
Harris has backed border surveillance technology investments without corresponding support for the privacy oversight amendments that critics argued were necessary to prevent those same tools from being used to monitor domestic activities. (Source: GovTrack — Harris votes)
Impact on Maryland’s Eastern Shore
Privacy isn’t abstract here
Surveillance doesn’t stop at borders. Eastern Shore residents—journalists, organizers, activists, faith leaders, immigrants, and ordinary families—are subject to the same data collection as anyone else.
Chilling free speech
When people know they may be monitored, they speak less freely. That affects:
- Political organizing
- Journalism
- Community advocacy
- Whistleblowing
Disproportionate harm
Surveillance has historically been used most aggressively against:
- Civil rights activists
- Anti-war organizers
- Muslim communities
- Immigrants
- Black and Brown communities
Expanded powers mean those patterns continue—just with better technology.
Public Statements and Voting Record
Bottom line: Public Statements and Voting Record
Where he has supported civil liberties
Where he has opposed surveillance oversight
- Voted to reauthorize warrantless Section 702 surveillance
- Voted against warrant requirements for domestic surveillance data
- Backed border surveillance without privacy guardrails
- Opposed vaccine immunization registries used by every state for disease prevention
- Promoted unproven COVID treatments; challenged public health orders during active pandemic
- Opposed firearm tracing databases used by law enforcement to solve gun crimes