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Imagine, on any election day, anonymous tips were called into law enforcement, or postings were discovered online, signaling trouble or possibly threats of violence at the polls. Would the voting public and poll workers be notified in time? Are there contingency plans in place for such a possibility?
Perhaps it’s best not to think about such things in advance and ignore the risk of such a threat until after something occurs and it is too late.
We could then pray and wallow in tears or point fingers at each other and decide what or what not to do to prevent such a thing from happening again, but the effort might go nowhere. The states of Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arizona, California, Washington, Texas, and the District of Columbia have clear prohibitions on guns in polling places (except for law enforcement).
Why not ask if we should be added to that list? But be not too surprised when the response you receive is the often-heard refrain when that question is asked, “Of course not; this is Maine.”
Until the laws are changed to protect voters’ and poll workers’ safety, would common sense dictate that polling places be located exclusively in public schools, where weapons bans are state-approved?
In our society’s so-called “fair and free election,” I believe the ballot is a government-issued weapon, and the privilege to vote is the citizens’ one bullet for democracy.
Neil Krane
Thomaston
