Maine’s Secretary of State putting it bluntly after the Trump administration requested voter files for Mainers: “Go jump in the Gulf of Maine.”
Those were the words of Secretary Shenna Bellows on Tuesday, who said the U.S. Department of Justice needs to “cool down” after it requested every Maine citizen’s voter information.
The 3-page letter sent Thursday asks for a statewide voter registration list and verification of procedures used to remove ineligible voters.
Bellows said her office rejected the request and accused the federal government of overstepping its bounds.
The DOJ has contacted other states with the same request, after Trump directed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek information about suspected election crimes from state election officials in March.
The DOJ says it plans to send letters to all 50 states.
Secretary Bellows said a formal response to the DOJ will be sent in the coming days.
