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Maine has really been leaning into its “Dirigo” motto as of late, at least when it comes to voting. Maine led the nation in voter participation last November.
This is a distinction worth holding on to with another election rapidly approaching on Nov. 7. Actually, because of the sensible ballot access measures in Maine including early voting, the election is already here, if voters are ready to weigh in.
“There are many ways that Mainers can cast their ballot, depending on what works for them and their busy schedules,” Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, Maine’s top election official, said in a statement Tuesday with no-excuse early absentee voting now available across the state. “The ease and accessibility of no-excuse absentee voting for 30 days before an election is one of the reasons we’ve consistently been among the states with the highest turnout, including being first in the nation last November.”
There are plenty of reasons for Maine voters to turn out once again this year — and it’s not just the pride of keeping the No. 1 ranking. This may be an off-year with no gubernatorial, congressional or state legislative races (except for any special elections). But the ballot is anything but boring, and features eight referendum questions, including four proposed amendments to the Maine Constitution.
Thankfully, though there is a large amount of referendum questions, there is also a large amount of information already out there to help voters navigate the choices. The BDN editorial board will eventually weigh in on each of these questions. However, the politics team at the BDN has already compiled some quick but very useful guides to these questions.
Question 3 has probably garnered the most attention, and money, on the November ballot. It asks voters whether they want to create Pine Tree Power, which would be governed by an elected board, to buy and replace current investor-owned electric utilities Central Maine Power and Versant. Question 1 is also connected to this proposal, and if passed, would require certain public entities to get approval from voters in order to borrow over $1 billion.
Question 2 asks voters if they want to prohibit foreign governments and entities connected to them from influencing candidate or referendum elections in Maine. If passed, it would also urge Maine’s congressional delegation to support an anti-corruption amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Question 4 deals with the so-called automotive right to repair and asks voters if they want to “require vehicle manufacturers to standardize on-board diagnostic systems” and allow independent repair shops and owners to access those systems and mechanical data remotely.
Question 5 asks voters if they want to allow the Maine Secretary of State’s Office more time in reviewing referendum petition signatures. Question 7 would remove language from the Maine Constitution requiring the people gathering these signatures to be Maine residents and registered Maine voters — language that has already been found unconstitutional in federal court.
Question 6, if passed, would change the Maine Constitution to require that all parts of the state Constitution be included when the Secretary of State prepares official copies. This would ensure the inclusion of treaty obligations to Wabanaki tribes, which remain in legal force but were previously taken out of printed copies.
Question 8, like Question 7, deals with language in the Maine Constitution that has already been found unconstitutional in federal court. Question 8 would remove language that previously prevented people under guardianship for mental illness from voting. That prohibition was struck down in court in 2001 but remains in the Maine Constitution.
Beyond the quick guides and other coverage, the BDN also partnered with the League of Women Voters of Maine and Bangor Public Library on a pair of events last week at the library. Video from both events is available on the League of Women Voters of Maine’s Facebook page. Secretary of State Bellows was among the speakers at the second event, providing a helpful overview for some of the proposed constitutional amendments.
“Regardless of how you view one question or any of the questions, participation is foundational to our democracy. And we are so proud in our state that we are number one in the nation [in] 2022 in voter participation,” Bellows said at the event in Bangor last week. “And so it is my hope that proponents and opponents of all of these questions will turn out in huge numbers and exercise that right to vote. Because that is really what our democracy is about.”
We share those sentiments, and echo Bellows’ encouragement. No matter how people vote on a particular question or the manner in which they exercise their right to vote, the most important thing is that they actually vote, between now and Nov. 7.