AUGUSTA, MAINE – In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows joined nine other Secretaries of State from across the country in demanding answers from U.S Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding the use of voter data. Maine is one of multiple states that received a demand for an unredacted voter registration list earlier in the year and has steadfastly refused to provide the personally identifying information (PII) of nearly 1 million Mainers.
Secretary Bellows today issued the following statement:
“I’m proud to partner with a coalition of states in fighting to protect Americans’ voter data and the integrity of our elections. We won’t back down in defending the strength of our elections and the rule of law.
The Department of Justice hasn’t shown any compelling reason for wanting the sensitive voter information of every American. They can’t even get their stories straight about what they plan to use it for or who will have access, and their demands appear to violate federal privacy laws and the Constitution. The DOJ’s demands for sensitive, personal information should set off alarms for everyone who cares about privacy and democracy. Complying with these unreasonable demands would put the privacy and data security of nearly 1 million Mainers at risk.”
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