PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A federal appeals court says Maine must open its voter rolls to a conservative-backed group that’s conducting independent audits. The court ruled Friday that state restrictions on releasing the lists violated the National Voter Registration Act. The Public Interest Legal Foundation sued over Maine’s decision not to release the lists without stipulations. The organization’s president called the decision by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston a “monumental victory for transparency in elections.” Baseless claims of widespread voter fraud are part of what’s driving efforts to obtain the voter rolls, leading to lawsuits in states including New Mexico and Pennsylvania, in addition to Maine.
