Update: On July 3, Secretary Dunlap responded to Secretary Kobach's request with a letter refusing the release of information about Maine voters.
Augusta – The ACLU of Maine today called on Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap to join the growing chorus of state officials who have stated that they will not comply with a request from Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach. Secretary Kobach sent a letter on behalf of President Trump’s election commission this week seeking details on every registered voter in the country. The ACLU has successfully challenged Kobach numerous times over his voter suppression policies. He was also recently fined by a federal magistrate for making “patently misleading representations to the court” about documents related to the National Voter Registration Act.
Kobach has not indicated how the commission would use the information it gathers, which includes names, addresses, birthdates, political affiliation, last four digits of Social Security numbers, and voting history. However, the commission does reportedly plan to make all those details widely available. Several states are already refusing to comply.
The following can be attributed to Alison Beyea, executive director of the ACLU of Maine:
"Maine law protects much of the information being sought by Secretary Kobach. Secretary Dunlap should join the growing chorus of state officials who are stating unequivocally that they will not comply with the request. We are counting on the Secretary to do everything in his power to protect the privacy of Mainers and the integrity of our democracy."
