The Department of Justice on Tuesday filed lawsuits against Oregon and Maine, along with their Secretaries of State, accusing the states of failing to provide information on voter list maintenance and electronic copies of statewide voter registration lists.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division said states cannot selectively comply with federal voting laws, which are designed to ensure all Americans have equal access to the ballot. “American citizens have a right to feel confident in the integrity of our electoral process, and the refusal of certain states to protect their citizens against vote dilution will result in legal consequences,” Dhillon said.
The lawsuit against Oregon claims that Secretary of State Tobias Read and the state violated the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, and the Civil Rights Act of 1960 by refusing to provide an unredacted electronic voter registration list, details about voter list maintenance, and registration information for ineligible voters.
Similarly, the lawsuit against Maine alleges that Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and the state failed to comply with the same federal laws by withholding data on the removal of ineligible voters and refusing to produce an unredacted, computerized voter registration list. DOJ noted that both states provided the same information to a private organization, highlighting inconsistent compliance.
