I wanted to thank state Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, for demonstrating tremendous leadership recently in supporting L.D. 211, “An Act to Open Maine’s Primaries.” While the measure ultimately did not gain enough votes to pass, it’s important for us to recognize that Sen. Diamond once again showed that he represents all of his constituents, not just those who share his party affiliation.
L.D. 211 would have allowed unenrolled voters (commonly referred to as “independents”) to vote in the taxpayer-funded primary elections. Thirty-five percent of Maine voters are unenrolled and under current Maine law, they are not permitted to vote in the primary elections, elections that decide 70 percent of state legislative races.
Since 80 percent of Maine voters support open primaries, it’s clear that eventually unenrolled voters will be allowed to vote in primary elections, just as it happens in 36 other states around the country (as tracked by the group Open Primaries).
Thank you to Sen. Diamond for being on the right side of this issue!
Matt Caston
Windham
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