ACLU of Maine Files Brief to Protect Maine Voters’ Private Information

PORTLAND – The ACLU of Maine today requested to file a friend-of-the-court brief in United States v. Bellows, arguing that the federal government’s demand for unredacted, sensitive voter information violates the language and purpose of federal voting law and state privacy law. The brief argues that the demand for the unredacted file should be denied, and the lawsuit dismissed.

In U.S. v. Bellows, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is demanding Maine share its unredacted voter file. DOJ sued after the secretary of state declined an initial request for the unredacted voter information. The case and the ACLU of Maine’s brief are before the United States District Court for the District of Maine.

The unredacted voter file includes many sensitive details about Maine voters, including birth dates, driver’s license numbers, and parts of social security numbers. The federal government’s demand for this sensitive information with no clear explanation for how it will be used or why it was requested, would violate federal voting law and state privacy law.

Federal voting rights laws were designed to create free, fair, and secure elections, including the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and the Civil Rights Act of 1960 (CRA). These federal laws were designed to expand and protect voting rights for all – including vulnerable communities that were once denied the right to vote and remain targets for voter suppression efforts – and ensure public confidence in elections.

Additionally, Maine state privacy law includes robust protections to keep sensitive personal information safe. These protections were passed with broad bipartisan support, but the federal government is demanding that Maine ignore them.

“Maine voters have shared this sensitive information so they can exercise their right to vote, but they never agreed to let the federal government access that information and ignore the law,” said Zach Heiden, chief counsel at the ACLU of Maine. “The federal government’s attempted overreach can undermine voter trust and data privacy. Eroding trust in elections can depress voter turnout and serve as the basis for patently false and dangerous claims. Our federal laws were designed to expand and protect voting rights for all. We urge the court to uphold Maine people’s voting and privacy rights so voters can remain confident that their personal information is secure, and our elections are free and fair.”

The brief was filed by the ACLU of Maine and the ACLU Voting Rights Project.