Controversy over a federal commission’s request for information on American voters is more than a bit overblown. Claims the panel is asking states to invade the privacy of voters are simply inaccurate, as a matter of fact.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Eric Schneiderman, New York’s attorney general, are absolutely right to take firm stances on one of their responsibilities, protecting voters’ privacy.

Members of the commission have sent state election officers letters seeking both input on the voting process and data on voters.

Specifically, the commission’s letter seeks voters’ names, addresses, birth dates, the last four digits of their Social Security numbers, party affiliations, elections they cast ballots in since 2006, criminal backgrounds, military status and other information.

Obviously, Cuomo and Schneiderman shouldn’t hand all of that data over to the commission. As critics of the request have pointed out, if every state furnished all the information, it could result in the creation of a database that would be the dream of every identity thief in the world. Given the government’s record on data security, there is no reason to be confident this database could be kept confidential.

But overlooked, possibly by design, in much criticism of the letter is one clause in it. Members of the commission were careful to specify they want only data available publicly under the laws of the states. In other words, the panel is seeking only information anyone — and we mean anyone — can get already. Cuomo and Schneiderman are doing the right thing in safeguarding the privacy of millions of New York voters.