Maine will not give the federal government driver’s license information on citizenship and race

Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap has denied requests from the U.S. Census Bureau to provide driver’s license records that include citizenship information and race. The request for the information comes as the Trump administration continues efforts to get citizenship information from states after the Supreme Court in June blocked a citizenship question on the U.S. Census survey.

Maine’s Secretary of State’s Office indicated that it has received several requests for the information in September, but Secretary of State Dunlap has refused to give the information to the federal government because it would be a violation of privacy. The Secretary of State’s Office made its decision after looking at what other states were doing and finding they were also denying the requests.
             
The U.S. Census Bureau is also requesting information about recipients of government assistance after changing immigration rules to make it harder for people to become citizens if they’ve accepted federal aid. That rule is being challenged in federal court by several states, including Maine.