2024 Recapped

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Monday, December 30, 2024
LWVME
 

Here's your 2024 League recap! 💫

As we navigate the challenges that we'll face in 2025, there's still so much to celebrate here in Maine. We're grateful to our local Leagues and League community for your continued support.

Check out some of the highlights from this year 👇

Taking Action on Gun Safety

[Pictured: League staff and intern during a gun safety rally in Augusta, January 2024.]

Following the mass shooting event in Lewiston in 2023, we revamped our advocacy on gun safety and joined the Maine Gun Safety Coalition. The League of Women Voters has held the position since 1990 that the proliferation of handguns and semi-automatic assault weapons is a major health and safety threat. This year we supported legislation written to limit gun violence and better support Mainers in a mental health crisis.

 
Maine's First Semi-Open Primary
[Pictured: Election Day, March 2024.]
 
Maine had its first semi-open primary in March! The League worked to establish semi-open primaries by passing a bill in 2022. Semi-open primaries allows unenrolled voters to cast one ballot in the primary of their choice. We released toolkits and held info sessions to encourage more active participation in primary elections.
 
Adopt a Town Launch

In April we launched our Adopt a Town program. Volunteers adopt their town (or several) and send us local election information when the time comes. This helps to build our online voter database, Vote411.org, and make it as comprehensible as possible. Is your town covered? Check out the map!

 
Conclusion of the 131st Legislative Session
[Pictured: League members on Advocacy Day, February 2024.]
 
The second half of the 131st legislative session concluded in May. We had several wins in 2024, including the National Popular Vote bill (LD 1578). Several common sense gun safety bills were passed this year, such as expanding background checks and resources for those experiencing a mental health crisis, and establishing a 72 hour waiting period. Several bills didn't make the cut, namely our bill to expand clean elections to county races (LD 1966).
 
New Partnerships

In September, the Maine Library Association (MLA) and League of Women Voters of Maine (LWVME) announced a new partnership to inform and empower voters ahead of the November 2024 election. Libraries and Maine Local League chapters have long worked together. The collaboration between these organizations will expand those connections and generate new resources.

 
Another Successful Election

[Pictured: Volunteers work to sort voter guides ahead of the November election.]

In November 2024, Maine conducted a successful election. We deployed over 115 volunteers to the polls and reported what we observed. Through our Neighbor to Neighbor program, we knocked on hundreds of doors in Gorham, Portland, South Portland, Westbrook, and Windham. About 33,480 voters accessed Vote411.org this year. Local Leagues registered voters and led candidate forums across the state.

 
Youth-led Work

Throughout the year, Maine Students Vote and the League work with a network of student and civic leaders on college campuses and high schools. Through our internship and fellowship programs, we pay young people to explore democracy and build their civic leadership skills. They create workshops, resources, and events to inspire and educate their peers. This year, students attended the national League of Women Voters Convention and National Student Vote Summit.

In October, over 50 students from across Maine came together to network and build their civic leadership skills at the third annual Youth Voting Summit. 

Each month, we also send out a Maine Civic Digest newsletter for educators providing news, ideas and resources to help build a culture of youth civic engagement, put together by the Youth Engagement Team.