Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has issued a formal letter to the Department of Justice unprecedented request for every Maine citizen’s voter information. Her letter questions the overbroad scope of the request and reiterates states’ rights to administer elections without federal interference. Multiple states have received similar requests for voter files. Reportedly, it is the Justice Department’s intention to make requests of every state.
“The United States Constitution entrusted the states, not the federal government, with responsibility for administering elections, and that’s a critically important check and balance on potential federal abuse of power,” said Secretary Bellows. “The Department of Justice doesn’t get to know everything about you just because they want to and I will do everything in my power to protect the privacy and security of Maine voters.”
Secretary Bellows’ letter to Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael Gates highlighted the steps Maine takes to ensure free, safe and secure elections, including modernization of systems as well as regular maintenance and multiple procedures in place to ensure Maine’s voter lists are as up to date as possible.
Secretary Bellows also pointed to the success of Maine elections, particularly in terms of voter registration and turnout. In 2024, Maine was third in the nation in voter turnout and in 2022, it was number one. More Maine citizens turned out to vote in 2024 than ever before in Maine’s history. In 2023, under the leadership of Secretary Bellows, Maine implemented automatic voter registration at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), giving Mainers an opportunity to electronically register to vote or update their voter registration inforation. In 2024, there were 20,042 automatic voter registrations at the BMV, includig 7,857 updates to existing voter registration records. Duplicate records are not uncomon and are typically created after someone recently moved to a new municipality. Election officials conduct detailed inspections of the voter rolls following every election to identify duplicates and any discrepancies or potetial wrondoing.
“Mainers should be extremely proud that our state is a natioal leader in voter registration and voter turnout,” said Secretary Bellows. “Every eligible voter in Maine has the right to vote and should be encouraged to do so. Why the Department of Justice would question Maine’s success is beyond me and smacks of federal interference in our elections.”
For background information on the matter, please visit post herein dated July 29, 2025.