Justice Department is suing Oregon and Maine as it seeks voter data in multiple states
The Justice Department said Tuesday that it has sued Oregon and Maine for failing to turn over their voter registration lists, marking the first lawsuits the department has brought against states in its wide-ranging effort to get detailed voter data.The department said the states were violating federal law by refusing to provide electronic copies of state voter registration lists and information regarding ineligible voters.It added that Oregon also did not provide information on how it maintains its voter list.Oregon and Maine are among at least 26 states that the department has asked for voter registration rolls in recent months, according to an Associated Press tally.“States simply cannot pick and choose which federal laws they will comply with, including our voting laws, which ensure that all American citizens have equal access to the ballot in federal elections,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K.
Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a news release.Spokespeople for the secretary of state’s offices in Oregon and Maine said Tuesday they had not yet received notice of the lawsuit.A message left with the Justice Department requesting a copy of the court filing was not immediately returned.Some states have declined or demurred on the voter registration data requests, citing their own state laws or the Justice Department’s failure to fulfill federal Privacy Act obligations.
Federal officials have followed up by sending additional letters demanding the voter data on short deadlines.Several states have sent redacted versions of their voter lists that are available to the public, but the Justice Department has on multiple occasions expressly demanded copies that contain personally identifiable information, including voter names, birth dates, addresses and driver’s license numbers or partial Social Security numbers.The department also threatened to sue Minnesota and California.Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has bee...