On the surface, the right to privacy would seem paramount. Unfortunately, the occasional misuse of these public records, by everyone from stalkers to commercial list builders, has prompted a flurry of attempts to restrict more and more of what the public and the media can see. The problem with this approach should be obvious. To allow only the select few to know certain things is an invitation to abuse of that exclusive knowledge. The opportunity for corruption increases in direct proportion to how few have access to the records.
Death certificates contain information about how people die.
Corrupt or intimidated medical examiners have been known to decree suicides even though the corpses in question have had several slugs in the back. Furthermore, there are legitimate statistical uses for those death certificates, such as revealing an inordinate number of cancer deaths in a given area. Tucsonans know from first-hand experience that a corporation might want to conceal evidence that it has helped boost cancer rates. In today's courtrooms, such cases are often sealed, denying others access to key testimony. And today's voter records are only partially open.