Action Center

League of Women Voters^®
of Maine

Important Current Issues for Action

The League of Women Voters is currently working on these important issues before the Maine State Legislature.

Clean Elections

Fifteen years ago, voters across Maine delivered 65,000 signatures to the Secretary of State to put Clean Elections on the ballot. A few months later, 320,000 Maine voters passed the nation's first full public funding law so that all candidates for state office -- legislative and gubernatorial -- could run for office without relying on special interest funding. More citizens voted "Yes!" on Clean Elections that have voted for any winning governor since 1990.
Today, Maine elections are Clean Elections, thanks to the enthusiastic participation of Maine people, including the members of the League of Women Voters.
Now our Clean Election system is under attack in Augusta. The 125th Legislature heard a host of bills to repeal or partially repeal the law.
LD 1774 Strips Matching Funds from the Maine Clean Election Act. Visit the Maine Legislature's web site to read the full text of the bill.
CURRENT STATUS: LD 1774 got a divided report out of the VLA Committee. Visit the web site of Maine Citizens for Clean Elections to get more information on LD 1774 and its current status.
Here's why we value our citizen-initiated Clean Election system.

Low cost: The Clean Election program costs Maine people less than $2 per year. And almost every dollar that candidates receive is spent right here in Maine. The gubernatorial program in only one-third of the total coast, about 67 cents per year.
Strong citizen support: Tens of thousands of Mainers make additional voluntary contributions to Clean Elections. Last year, 40,000 Qualifying Contributions were made, many of them in support of Republican and Democratic gubernatorial candidates. Thousands more people check YES for Clean Elections on the Maine income tax form.
Better elections: Maine candidates spend months talking with and listening to voters rather than dialing for dollars. With limited funds, they stick to their budget + good preparation for managing our money once elected. And isn't it better that candidates ask local voters for $5 rather than asking special interests for $350?
Widespread popularity: How many laws can boast broad bipartisan support? Clean Elections is used by a majority of Republicans and Democrats for both the House and the Senate. Eighty percent of the current legislature used it. We may not have a Clean Election governor yet, but now is not the time to deny future candidates the same opportunity.
The importance of keeping Maine's government "of, by, and for the people." Look around the country. Special interests wield too much influence, making it impossible for states and Congress to address the pressing issues of our time. It's more important than ever that we keep voters in the driver's seat for the long term, both for Maine's sake and so that we can continue to be a beacon of hope to an increasingly cynical nation.

For more information, visit Maine Citizens for Clean Elections.

Photo ID

The right of every citizen to vote has been a basic principle of the League since its founding in 1920. The League's believes that "voting is a fundamental citizen right that must be guaranteed." Photo ID could disenfranchise a significant percentage of Maine voters, including many elderly, diabled, and poor.
LD 199 Requires a Photo ID from every voter each time they vote. Studies indicate that approximately 11% of the population does not have a qualified ID. Visit the Maine Legislature's web site to read the full text of the bill.
CURRENT STATUS: On Friday, February 3, the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee effectively killed LD 199, An Act To Strengthen Maine's Election Laws by Requiring Photograph Identification for the Purpose of Voting. The bill was held over from last session, but members of the Committee struck the text of the bill and replaced it with a resolve directing the Secretary of State to conduct a study on election practices in Maine.
We know that Maine elections are well-run and secure, and they have helped our state to become a national leader in voter participation. We do not think a study is necessary because the Secretary of State is already empowered to take action in these matters and to make legislative proposals. If the Secretary of State has identified isolated problems, he should investigate them and make sure that anyone who has violated the law is prosecuted. If he suspects systemic problems, he should get the facts and propose evidence-based solutions. But with or without a study, we are gratified that the Committee has declined to move forward on the original bill.
From the experience of other states, we know that requiring photo ID to vote would be expensive, would disenfranchise voters, and would create disruption at the polls. And, it would do all of this unnecessarily. Voter ID laws counter one exceedingly rare kind of voter fraud - impersonating someone else at the polls. This doesn't really happen in Maine. Only two cases of voter fraud have been prosecuted by the Attorney General in more than 30 years, and neither of those was the type of fraud that would be prevented by photo ID requirements.
Here's why we oppose photo ID:

It will be expensive: implementation of voter ID laws in other states has cost millions of dollars. In addition to the cost of offering free documents, other states have had to launch massive and continuing voter education campaigns. This is in addition to the added costs of administering the requirements at the polls.
It's unnecessary: voter ID laws counter one exceedingly rare kind of voter fraud -- impersonating someone else at the polls. This never happens in Maine. Only one case of voter fraud has be prosecuted by the Attorney General in more than 30 years.
It could disenfranchise voters: if our law requires the kind of government-issued ID that similar laws in other states have required, then we could find 11% of our voters do not have the required ID. Percentages are higher among the elderly, ethnic minorities, and low income voters.
It will create disruption at the polls: People unaware of the new law could be turned away at the polls or asked to vote a "provisional" ballot, which require more processing both on Election Day after.

For more information on this issue, visit the LWVUS website or

The Cost of Voter ID Laws: What the Courts Say
Implications of Photo ID Laws for Election Officials and Secretaries of State

Take Action

Contact your representatives in Augusta on these bills.
Use this link to find contact information for your State Representative and Senator.

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: April 7, 2012 07:45 PDT.