Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com
Better voting procedures
There is a flurry of election-related bills making their way (or not) through the Maine Legislature. Some of them would suppress voters’ rights and access, while others would write into law the best practices learned from last year’s election cycle. In 2020, a number of new procedures and helpful tools were implemented to respond to the surge in absentee voting and the challenges to safe and accessible elections due to the pandemic.
The best of these practices should be codified going forward to lend consistency, uniformity and clarity to Maine’s voting practices statewide. Having a more uniform set of procedures and rules, implemented by the Secretary of State’s Office and our town clerks, would simplify and clarify voting processes, deadlines and resources for all Maine voters, regardless of where one lives in our state.
Whether instituting ballot drop boxes, ballot curing and tracking tools, or poll watcher eligibility rules, uniformity across the state would go a long way in combating the misinformation and confusion we experienced last year. A more uniform set of election laws should take into consideration the administrative and staffing realities of our towns, while making voting as straightforward and accessible as possible.
In the current “voter beware” environment, such standardization would be a win-win for both voters and election workers. The less need for individual discretion and interpretation of election laws the better, especially when public trust in our current political system is in short supply.
Karen Tcheyan
Harpswell
Get the facts
Central Maine Power has been running an ad on TV right that claims that its unpopular corridor will cause “No destruction of public lands. But don’t take our word for it. Get the facts.”
Well, the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee, which is charged with overseeing our public lands, recently sent a letter to the Bureau of Parks and Lands that states, “The clearing and placement of large transmission towers and lines on an approximately one-mile-long strip of land across constitutionally protected public reserve lands is a substantially different use of these lands and would substantially alter the use of those lands.” The letter goes on to say that the bureau “undermined” the intent of the Maine Constitution in issuing leases to CMP without seeking the required two-thirds vote.
This letter was authorized by every single member of the committee except one, and the House chair said that CMP’s leases were “secret, backroom deals.” Justice Michaela Murphy has been deciding how to proceed with the pending court case after finding that the bureau in fact hasn’t determined if our public lands would be significantly reduced or altered before issuing the leases. This should enrage everyone, considering that nearly 75 percent of Maine voters supported the constitutional amendment to require legislative oversight for projects that would have this sort of impact on land that belongs to the people.
So there are the facts that CMP apparently doesn’t want you to have. This November, vote yes to reject the CMP Corridor.
Theresa York
Farmington
Keep shining a light on disinformation
Thank you for shining a light on Christiane Northrup’s COVID-19 vaccine disinformation. Personally, I find Northrup’s gruesome conspiracy theories disturbing. It’s my sincere hope Mainers won’t be led astray by her anti-vaccine rhetoric, seemingly borrowed from science fiction and horror.
The nightmare world Northrup claims to exist is simply not real. Quite the opposite, COVID-19 vaccines are our ticket back to a healthy, normal life. I am so grateful for that.
Please continue your thoughtful science reporting. Whether it’s Northrup or even a member of the Maine Legislature, prominent anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists should be held accountable by our local journalists. Keep shining that exposing light on our behalf.
Aaron Bergeron
Portland