ICYMI: Trump’s Justice Department sues Maine for sensitive voter-list data; Bellows: “We won’t back down.”
Secretary Bellows repeats earlier calls to “go jump in the Gulf of Maine” in response to DOJ overreach.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it was bringing a frivolous and unprecedented lawsuit against Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows for refusing to turn over Mainers’ personal voter data.
Despite dozens of other states, including some Republican-led states, refusing to comply with the DOJ’s dangerous overreach, a lawsuit was filed against only Maine and Oregon. While the Secretary’s leadership against the Trump administration has made her a political target, she was clear: “We won’t back down,” Bellows said.
Echoing her response to past requests from the DOJ, Secretary Bellows repeated her directive to the Trump administration: “Go jump in the Gulf of Maine.”
Background:
The Trump administration and its allies have launched a multipronged effort to gather data on voters and inspect voting equipment, sparking concern among local and state election officials about federal interference ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Secretary Bellows received national attention as she was one of the first secretaries to reject the original request, telling the administration to “go jump in the Gulf of Maine.”
The Maine GOP called for her resignation for failing to bend to the overreaching Trump administration, but she has stayed focused on protecting Maine’s privacy.
