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Whether or not you believe that voters should have to show a photo ID, you may want to think twice before voting for referendum Question 1 on the ballot this Nov. 4. There is much more stuffed into this referendum than ID, including making voting by absentee ballot more difficult.
More than 40% of Mainers rely on voting by absentee ballot. Mainers who are deployed members of the military, long distance truck drivers, students away at college, people who work extended hours, seniors, veterans and others with disabilities, remote rural dwellers. All of these citizens have the right to vote, yet Question 1 would significantly curtail their ability to do so. Why?
Of the tens of millions of votes cast in Maine since 1982, there have been only two incidents of voter fraud convictions. Two.
Maine’s election system is not broken. It is safe, secure, and it works for Mainers. Don’t mess with it. To preserve your right to vote, and your ability to do so, be sure to vote “no” on Question 1 on Nov. 4.
Laura Lander
Machias