Maine's Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said a recent executive order from President Donald Trump that attempts to overhaul U.S. elections is unconstitutional.
The executive order mirrors a proposal backed by Republicans in Congress that would require proof of citizenship — to include either a U.S. passport or a certified birth certificate — to register to vote in federal elections.
Bellows said that requirement could make voting more difficult for some Mainers.
As her office works to implement federal REAL ID requirements, she said those who have changed their names in a marriage or a divorce, and Mainers who live near the border and were born in Canada, have the hardest time proving their identities. Older voters, she added, are the most likely to have expired documents.
"If their passport is expired or they don't have a valid current driver's license or ID, they may find themselves unable to participate in our elections, even if they've participated for their entire lives," Bellows said.
Bellows declined to say whether Maine will get involved in any court battles challenging the order but noted under the U.S. Constitution, individual states have broad discretion to run elections and set their own election laws.
"Only the states or Congress can pass any new laws with any new requirements that impact voting rights and election administration," she said.
The order also calls on states to turn over voting information to the U.S. Justice Department or risk losing federal grant funding for state or local law enforcement.
"It's ironic that President Trump is asserting his executive order will protect election integrity when his administration has literally just eliminated all of the existing funding resources that we used here in Maine, and states across the country, have been using to protect our elections," she said.
Bellows leads the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, a collaboration of federal, state, and local election and cyber officials. Its funding was recently eliminated, along with funds for another multi-state collaborative, which Bellows said played a major role in deflecting threats to Maine's 2024 election.
