Voting “no” on Question 1 on Nov. 8 is common sense when it comes to protecting a person’s vote. Maine’s system is currently vulnerable and rife with problems. A first step in correcting the system’s many problems and vulnerabilities is to uphold the law the Legislature passed and keep the ban on Election Day voter registration.
Unfortunately, the Sun Journal recently endorsed our opposition’s position on this issue (Nov. 1), and neglected many important points.
First and foremost, the Sun Journal editorialized that it is not “in the public’s interest to dismiss a single vote” in its argument to preserve Election Day voter registration. That is exactly what a “no” vote will protect. Votes are dismissed when ineligible voters are permitted to register to vote on Election Day, canceling out an eligible vote. Would you want that to be your vote canceled out?
On Election Day, there simply is not enough time for municipal clerks to verify a voter’s identity or residency status. On a recent Portland radio program, former Secretary of State Matt Dunlap even acknowledged, “If you hang around a town office on Election Day, they’re not going to be inspecting voter registrations.”
Furthermore, the Sun Journal focused on college students registering to vote on Election Day, saying they might not be able to exercise their right to vote if they did not have that option. With the ban only eliminating voter registration for two days prior to Election Day, that is a weak argument, considering students would have 247 days during the remainder of the year to register.
Another weak argument is Orono Clerk Wanda Thomas’ comment that “more staff may need to be hired year-round because there would be no way to gauge when registrants would come in.” It is nonsense to think all college students, with varying classes and extracurricular activities, who wanted to vote in Maine would go to a town office at the same time on the same day to register to vote.
The reality is that 41 states, those that have recognized vulnerabilities in Election Day registration, do not allow it. That’s 93 percent of American voters. Even “blue” states such as California, New York and Massachusetts require a voter to register prior to Election Day; and those states require registration far earlier than Maine’s two-day ban.
Currently, luck is all we have to ensure the integrity of state elections.
Mainers deserve to know their votes are secure, and that ineligible voters are not canceling out their votes. One ineligible vote is one too many.
A “no” vote on Question 1 would make sure that every vote counts, and preserves the integrity of Maine’s elections.
Lance Dutson, CEO,
Maine Heritage Policy Center, Portland
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