Know your voting rights
Maine has among the best voting laws in the nation, and as a result, we have one of the highest voter turnout rates in the nation. Let’s keep it that way.
Every U.S. citizen 18 or older who is a resident of Maine has the right to cast a vote, and no one should be afraid to do so. The best defense against voter intimidation is knowing your rights when you go to the polls. Here are some things to remember.
If you’ve already registered, you don’t need an ID to vote in Maine. And if you haven’t registered yet, you can do so at your polling place on Election Day. If you plan on registering on Election Day, you’ll be asked to prove your identity and address (there are many ways to do this that don’t require photo ID).
You can’t be turned away from your polling place. If you think you’re eligible to vote but you’re having trouble, ask to cast a “challenged ballot.”
If you need help reading or marking your ballot, you can bring a friend or ask a poll worker to help you. And if you make a mistake, you can ask for a new ballot.
Finally, voter intimidation is illegal. If someone tries to pressure you into voting a certain way or not at all, report it to a polling official. They are well-trained and there to help. And if you still have trouble casting a ballot, call us at the ACLU of Maine at 774-5444.
Alison Beyea
Executive director
ACLU of Maine
Portland
Mentors not cure all for drug crisis
A recent BDN article about the role of mentors in preventing addiction never once mentioned the Down East Big Brother Big Sister Program. I was a Big Brother in that program back in the 1980s, and I later sat on the board of directors. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. The template is already there. The local Bangor chapter always struggled for funding. The board spent most of its time figuring out how to raise money. The Bowl for Kids Sake was one of the biggest.
It’s interesting that as a society we have to find non-family members to mentor our kids. What happened to basic parenting skills? We’ve become too busy, that is what’s happened. So, let’s turn the kids over to the retirees to do it, after all, they have nothing else to do. Mentoring some children can be an exhausting and sometimes an expensive endeavor.
While the article makes it sound like it will help solve the drug problem, it’s not all ice cream and cookies.
David Winslow
Brewer
Change the mascots
Recently, a white student attended a Halloween fraternity party in Arkansas dressed as Bill Cosby, wearing a colorful sweater and blackface. Many questioned why he would want to portray someone accused of multiple sexual assaults, but the main reaction was to his use of blackface. The negative responses from the student’s community were swift and harsh. “Being black is not a costume.” The widespread public outcry is not surprising, for blackface has long been considered an unacceptable and racist portrayal of African-Americans.
What is surprising is that it continues to be acceptable for Native Americans to be portrayed in a similar fashion, most notably by the Cleveland Indians’ mascot, Chief Wahoo, a big grinned, happy-go-lucky looking Native American. Some say it’s a tribute to the Native heritage of bravery and pride. But no one honors a race or a culture by depicting it with cartoon-like characters.
Why is this still happening? Is it because the Native American political voice is not as strong as African-Americans? Is there any other culture that is acceptably represented by caricaturing its people? Imagine the outcry if a sports team did so with Asians, Jews or Hispanics.
The student who wore the blackface apologized, and he said he was unaware of its offensiveness. We must continue to help people understand how degrading it is to characterize a culture with a cartoon symbol. Racism is not just a black and white issue.
Beth Woodson
Dixmont
Ballot do-overs
Alex Steed’s Nov. 5 BDN column on voting rights contained a serious error. In explaining what to do if a voter makes a mistake on his ballot, he advises “Throw it out, ask for a new ballot, and start over.”
Do not ever throw out a ballot, rip it up, or dispose of it in any other way. That’s called ballot tampering. Not only is it illegal, but it’s definitely not the way to get a do-over when voting.
Since you’ve already been checked in and handed your original ballot, you cannot just go back and ask for a new one. If you make a mistake on your ballot take it immediately to the warden or a ballot clerk and report that you have spoiled your ballot. Only once you hand the spoiled ballot over, and it is marked as a spoiled ballot, can you be given a new one.
The spoiled ballot still is a ballot, and it must be accounted for in the warden’s tally at the end of the night. To assure election integrity, the total number of cast ballots, plus test ballots (in places that use machines), spoiled ballots and unused ballots must add up to the exact number of ballots sent to the polling place by the Maine secretary of state.
David Bright
Dixmont
Beach access disputes
Warren Whitney’s, director of Maine Coast Heritage Trust, comments about public access to beaches in the November issue of Working Waterfront are disturbing. “The best way to make sure you don’t lose public access is to take ownership of these places, and not rely on government or certain court rulings,” Whitney said in the article.
If people want access to the beach, then I suggest they purchase waterfront property and pay taxes on this property just like current owners. By doing this they will have second thoughts on allowing access to the public. The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands is already trying to strong arm waterfront owners into giving easements, this must stop.
Susan Lara
Eastport