A federal appeals court has ruled that Maine must release its voter list to conservative advocacy groups that conduct independent audits, ruling that the state’s restrictions on list distribution violate the National Voter Registration Act. I concluded that there is.
The Public Interest Law Foundation sued the state of Maine over its decision to block the mass publication of voter registration lists without restrictions, including prohibiting the publication of voter registration lists online.
Lauren Bowman, a spokeswoman for the group, said the group is suing to allow researchers to compare one state’s voter rolls with another state’s and intends to make the rolls public. He said no. PILF President J. Christian Adams called Friday’s ruling by the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston “a monumental victory for election transparency.”
Maine lawmaker warns of ‘California agenda’ being promoted in purple state
Maine Secretary of State Shena Bellows said she remains “deeply concerned” because voter information has previously been shared online and state officials have said voters could be harassed. Stated.
“Promises are not enough,” said Bellows, a Democrat. “Maine residents should not fear that by registering to vote, their information will be published online and they may be threatened, harassed, or otherwise harmed.”
The Maine State Capitol photographed in Augusta, Maine. (eyecrave Productions via Getty Images)
Unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud are part of efforts to obtain the rolls, leading to lawsuits over whether to hand over the data in several states, including New Mexico and Pennsylvania, in addition to Maine. ing.
State election officials and privacy advocates are warning that conservative groups are gaining access to the state’s voter rolls, which could be used to intimidate voters or cancel their registrations. I am concerned that this may happen.
In New York state, prosecutors sent a cease-and-desist order to the New York City Citizen Audit Group to stop “unlawful voter fraud” and “intimidation” after voters reported so-called auditors showing up on their doorsteps. he demanded. .
Maine has traditionally provided voter registration lists to candidates and political parties, but was sued in 2019 for failing to provide them to the Public Interest Law Foundation.
Rules governing voter lists vary by state. Nearly all states, including Maine, prohibit the use of directories for commercial purposes, and some states restrict access to political candidates and parties for campaign purposes.
Bellows said there are still some prohibitions in Maine, such as protecting the domicile of a person with a protection from abuse order.
The state is still evaluating the impact of Friday’s court decision.
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“We will do everything in our power to protect voter information from misuse, consistent with the law and court decisions,” Bellows said.
