Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown issued a cease and desist letter to the Center for Voter Information/Voter Participation Center, accusing the organization of attempting to intimidate voters by mail.

The letter was sent in response to numerous complaints from Maryland residents who received mail suggesting that if they chose not to vote in the upcoming election, their voting history would be shared with their neighbors.

The letters, titled “Ballots,” would detail whether recipients voted in each of the last four elections and compare that data to anonymized voting records from two nearby neighbors.

The letters include statements such as: “We are sending this mail to you and your neighbors to share who is and is not voting, in an effort to promote voter participation,” and conclude by saying: “We will review these records after the election to determine whether or not you joined our neighbors in voting.

Attorney General Brown condemned the mailings as “troubling and unacceptable,” adding, “Voting is one of the most important rights Marylanders have. Any action that intimidates potential voters, especially on the eve of such an important election, will not be tolerated.

The letters, according to Brown’s office, could be construed as threats under Maryland law, which prohibits any attempt to influence a voter’s decision through intimidation or threats. Maryland law allows access to voting records but prohibits the use of that information to intimidate voters or coerce their participation.

Brown’s office reported that the CVI/VPC assured the attorney general’s office that it did not intend to release individuals’ voting histories after the election and would refrain from sending other letters to Maryland residents.

In his letter, Brown demands that CVI agree to a court-enforceable undertaking to stop what he described as “intimidating and unacceptable” mailings.