Question 1: People’s Veto

“Do you want to reject the section of Chapter 399 of the Public Laws of 2011 that requires new voters to register to vote at least two business days prior to an election?”

Maine’s election laws have helped the state lead the way in voter turnout, and there is simply not enough evidence that stricter rules are necessary to keep the system from being compromised.

That is why we urge a yes vote on Question 1, which would repeal a law passed earlier this year eliminating same-day voter registration.

Republicans pushed through the law last year as part of a nationwide effort by the party to limit the voting numbers of constituencies that tend to go Democrat: students, immigrants and the poor. Since then, state leaders, led by Charlie Webster, chairman of the Maine Republican Party, have tried to prove the presence of widespread voter fraud. But all Webster has found are small holes in the voter registration system, many of which would not be plugged anyway by eliminating Election Day voter registration.

Residents should vote yes to repeal the law so Maine can continue same-day registration. Lawmakers should then take a look at the evidence produced by the study completed by Secretary of State Charlie Summers, after Webster’s urging. Then, they can craft laws that will protect the sanctity of the election booth without making it more difficult for Mainers to vote.

Question 4: Constitutional Amendment

“Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to change the years of redistricting the Maine Legislature, congressional districts and county commissioner districts after 2013 from 2023 and every 10th year thereafter to 2021 and every 10th year thereafter?”

A yes vote on Question 4 would create a constitutional amendment to force the redistricting of Maine’s two congressional districts, state legislative districts and county commissioner districts to occur the year following the U.S. Census, as happens in other states, rather than three years following the population count. It would also require two-thirds vote of the Legislature to approve the new districts.

We urge the passage of this amendment.

Redistricting took center stage earlier this year when Republicans offered a dramatic redesign for the congressional districts that would have made the 1st Congressional District more GOP friendly, then threatened to pass it with a simple majority.

Requiring any plan to pass with a two-thirds majority vote would take some of the heat off the politically charged redistricting process and help ensure a more equitable election map, while shortening the timeline would mean those maps would be more reflective of the state’s population.

Ben Bragdon is the managing editor of Current Publishing. He can be reached at bbragdon@keepmecurrent.com or followed on Twitter.

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