Maine Republicans are again calling on Shenna Bellows to resign as secretary of state — this time over her office’s refusal to provide the Trump administration with voter information.

In a press release Monday, top Republicans in the Maine House and Senate also attempted to connect a recent fatality in Lewiston — in which a noncitizen driving on a learner’s permit struck and killed a pedestrian — to Bellows’ role overseeing the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

The driver, Lionel Francisco, 31, of Angola, was later detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on possible immigration violations. The next day, a woman was struck and killed while walking in New Gloucester. The driver in that crash, Mukendi Mbiya, 49, of Lewiston, also was detained on suspicion that he was in the U.S. on an expired visa.

Currently, 19 states and the District of Columbia allow undocumented immigrants to obtain a driver’s license, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, but Maine is not among them. Maine only issues driver’s licenses to state residents and immigrants who are either U.S. citizens or who are lawfully present in the U.S., which can be proven through a range of unexpired and valid immigration documents.

Republicans, however, claimed that Bellows’ refusal to provide the federal government with personal information contained in voting records raises questions about whether her office is thoroughly vetting immigrants who seek licenses. Bellows, who is also a leading candidate for governor, joined several other Democrat-led states last month in denying the Trump administration’s request for detailed voter information.

“Your brazen unwillingness to cooperate with the federal government, both in the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Division of Elections, has become deeply troubling,” legislative Republican leaders said in an Aug. 20 letter to Bellows. “Recently you have expressed numerous public positions and engaged in a problematic pattern of partisan rhetoric in response to routine requests for data.”

The letter was signed by Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart of Presque Isle, House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham of Winter Harbor, Assistant Senate Minority Leader Matthew Harrington of Sanford and Assistant House Minority Leader Katrina Smith of Palermo.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows rejected Trump’s Justice Department’s request for Maine voter information during a press conference held July 29 at the Williams Pavilion Building in Augusta. (Anna Chadwick/Staff Photographer)

In a statement Monday, Bellows hit back at Republicans for “exploiting the recent tragic deaths of two Mainers to attempt to score political points.”

“Both drivers involved in these cases were accurately issued credentials based on their legal presence in our country and residency in our state,” she said. “No doubt the legal system will hold them accountable for their roles in these tragic deaths.

“I will always follow the law and I’ll never back down from doing what is right for the people of Maine. To best serve Maine people, I call on the House and Senate Republicans to work with me, not against me, on traffic safety, voter privacy, and other vital nonpartisan issues.”

Republicans previously called on Bellows to resign in 2023 — and then tried unsuccessfully to impeach her — for trying to remove Trump’s name from the presidential primary ballot because of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol. A judge rejected that effort, but Republicans targeted Bellows again in the spring, after she announced she was running for governor.

“Enforcement of Maine’s statutes must be above reproach, and the integrity of our democratic system must always come before personal political ambition or partisan ambition,” they wrote. “If you’re not willing to prioritize your official duties over your gubernatorial campaign, we feel it is incumbent upon you to resign from the position before you damage the Department of Secretary of State beyond repair.”

Bellows has continued to serve as secretary of state during her candidacy, drawing ire from Republicans, but there is plenty of precedent.

In 2018, both Gov. Janet Mills, who was serving as attorney general, and independent Teresa Hayes, the state’s treasurer, continued to serve while running for governor, despite calls by then-Gov Paul LePage for them to resign.

Democrats have made similar calls in the past as well. In 2012, Republican Charlie Summers maintained his post as secretary of state while running for the U.S. Senate. Democrat Bill Diamond also ran for the 1st District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives while serving as secretary of state in 1994.