The DOJ’s Lawsuit Against Maine and Oregon: A Win for Election Security

Originally published by the American Spectator

In a bold move to protect our elections, the Department of Justice (DOJ) under President Trump has sued Maine and Oregon for stonewalling access to the states’ voter registration rolls. This isn’t some partisan tactic by the DOJ—it’s a straightforward enforcement of federal law to work toward accurate elections. The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) requires that states make these rolls available for public inspection, yet these two states have continued to violate this law, hiding behind flimsy privacy excuses.

On September 16, 2025, the DOJ filed lawsuits alleging that Oregon and Maine violated the NVRA by refusing to provide complete voter rolls. Maine’s Secretary of State had refused to provide the voter rolls despite earlier requests from the DOJ, making the preposterous claim that the DOJ was interested in the data for nefarious reasons, and telling the DOJ to “go jump in the gulf of Maine..”

Regardless, the NVRA explicitly requires states to allow public access to voter registration records, including for federal oversight to verify accuracy. It’s built into federal law to ensure that states are not sitting on voter rolls full of deceased voters, duplicate entries, non-citizens, and other ineligible individuals. Other states have had no issue providing their voter rolls in the interest of working with the federal government and the resources available to ensure proper voter list maintenance.

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