The Justice Department has filed lawsuits against Oregon and Maine, along with their respective Secretaries of State, accusing them of failing to provide information about voter list maintenance procedures and electronic copies of statewide voter registration lists. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division stated that states cannot selectively ignore federal voting laws, which ensure equal ballot access for American citizens. “The refusal of certain states to protect their citizens against vote dilution will result in legal consequences,” she added.

The lawsuit against Oregon alleges violations of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and Civil Rights Act of 1960 (CRA). It claims Oregon and Secretary of State Tobias Read refused to share an unredacted electronic voter registration list, details on voter list maintenance programs, and information on ineligible voters. Similarly, the Maine lawsuit accuses Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and the state of failing to provide data on removing ineligible individuals and unredacted voter lists.

Both states provided identical information to a private organization, according to reports. The Justice Department has intensified efforts to obtain statewide voter registration data, requesting information from around two dozen states. Some have declined or delayed responses, citing state laws or the department’s failure to meet Privacy Act requirements. Federal officials have since issued additional demands with tight deadlines.

While some states shared redacted voter lists, the Justice Department repeatedly sought unredacted versions containing personally identifiable details like names, birth dates, and driver’s license numbers. The department also threatened legal action against Minnesota and California. Maine’s Bellows and Oregon’s Read criticized the requests, calling them an overreach of federal authority. “It is absurd that the Department of Justice is targeting our state,” Bellows stated, citing widespread resistance from secretaries of state across party lines.