AUGUSTA — Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said Friday he is joining a group of 23 attorneys general that is calling on U.S. Attorney General William Barr to follow traditional protocols about investigating voter fraud.

Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey Scott Thistle/Staff Writer

Frey and the other attorneys general cited a Nov. 9 directive from Barr to allow federal prosecutors to pursue allegations of voter fraud before results are certified. The group sent a letter to Barr that said the policy change “will erode the public’s confidence in the election.”

The U.S. Department of Justice typically recognizes that overseeing elections is principally a responsibility of states, the attorneys general said.

Frey said Barr’s decision “to unilaterally change longstanding Department of Justice policy to advance political objectives is inappropriate and must be reversed.”

He said election officials in Maine and elsewhere have made clear that voter fraud was not an issue in the 2020 election. President Trump, Barr’s boss, has claimed otherwise without evidence.