FILE-Voters fill out their ballots at a polling location at Bedford High School on January 23, 2024 in Bedford, New Hampshire. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The Department of Justice is suing Oregon and Maine because the states failed to submit voter registration lists as part of a move to obtain voter data.
According to the Associated Press, Oregon and Maine are among about 26 states that the Justice Department has asked for voter registration rolls in the past few months.
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Justice Department officials tell the AP that the states are violating federal law by not providing electronic copies of state voter registration lists and information about ineligible voters.
Has the DOJ received voter data from other states?
Why you should care:
The Associated Press reported that some states have nixed or objected to the voter registration data requests, citing their own state laws or the Justice Department’s negligence to meet federal Privacy Act obligations. Federal officials have followed up by sending additional letters demanding the voter data on short deadlines.
Meanwhile, several states have sent redacted versions of their voter lists that are available to the public, but the DOJ has demanded copies that contain personal information like voter names, birth dates, addresses and driver’s license numbers or partial Social Security numbers.
The AP noted that the DOJ has also threatened to sue Minnesota and California.
Maine and Oregon respond to the Justice Department
The other side:
Officials from Maine and Oregon responded to the DOJ’s voter data requests through statements obtained by the Associated Press.
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said in a statement: "Maine has some of the best elections in the nation. It is absurd that the Department of Justice is targeting our state when Republican and Democratic Secretaries all across the country are fighting back against this federal abuse of power just like we are."
In a statement Tuesday to the AP, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias said, "If the President wants to use the DOJ to go after his political opponents and undermine our elections, I look forward to seeing them in court. I stand by my oath to the people of Oregon, and I will protect their rights and privacy."
Justice Department officials told the AP that it needs to access detailed voter data to make sure election officials are following federal election laws.
However, election officials have argued that and raised concerns that federal officials are attempting to use sensitive data for other reasons like searching for possible noncitizens on the voting rolls.
Additionally, in a separate request in August, the DOJ requested access to voting machines used in the 2020 election in Missouri.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Associated Press, which received comments from Maine and Oregon officials about the DOJ’s voter data request. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.