NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — Mayor Jon Mitchell announced Tuesday that the City of New Bedford will not be providing voter lists to the U.S. Department of Justice, despite the federal government’s request to do so. Mitchell: 'Disclosure of Voter Lists Might Chill Voter Interest'Mitchell said he is concerned the DOJ’s request is “a pretext” for the federal government to intervene in New Bedford’s elections. “Accordingly, we have decided not to produce the voter lists to the Department,” Mitchell said. “The only evidence you point to in your request for voter lists is the existence in New Bedford of a significant number of limited-English proficient voting age citizens. This alone is not a basis to believe that voters in New Bedford are being deprived of their rights under the Voting Rights Act.”