League of Women Voters of Maine Announces Advocacy Agenda for 128th Legislature

Augusta - As the 128th Maine Legislature convenes, the League of Women Voters of Maine (LWVME) is pleased to announce its democracy agenda for the upcoming legislative session. The 2017 program includes voting rights, elections, and money in politics and focuses on:

• Automatic voter registration
• Election integrity
• Ranked Choice Voting implementation
• Clean Elections
• Voting rights

"These are key, perennial issues for us," said state president, Jill Ward. "The League is the vanguard in protecting voter rights and election integrity. We're very focused on maintaining our state's history of secure and open elections. Additionally, as early endorsers of Ranked Choice Voting in 2011 and strong supporters of the citizen initiative approved by the voters last fall, we're now working to support full implementation of the new law and educate voters on how it will work in the 2018 election."

Each legislative session, the League's all-volunteer Lobby Corps advocates on major policy issues concerning voting rights and election administration, government ethics and good government, Clean Elections and campaign finance reform, freedom of information, and disclosure.

"Given the outpouring of both frustration and hope shown by demonstrators last weekend," Ms. Ward explained, "we want people to know the League is a places where you can get to work immediately to make a difference. Our Lobby Corps is involved with issues in the state legislature, and our local Leagues provide options to discuss issues and work on topics of importance. There's a lot of work to do and we encourage our fellow citizens to join us."

Information on all LWVME positions, how they are determined, and the history of our advocacy work is available in the newly released Impact on Issues. It reflects the League's current priorities and past advocacy work.

For more information about LWVME, visit http://www.lwvme.org.