I spent today in Augusta lobbying against LD 199, a bill that would make it harder for Maine citizens to vote by requiring a photo ID. The good news is that lawmakers seem poised to abandon a voter ID. Unfortunately, the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs did not vote today to kill LD 199. Instead, they tabled the measure to allow time to discuss a possible "study." That's because the Secretary of State reported new allegations of possible voter fraud, claiming that the central voter registration system is rife with administrative and clerical errors. We view those claims with some skepticism given that these claims have been made before only to be disavowed.
However, if, in fact, there are administrative and clerical errors in our central voter registration system, the Secretary of State has the legal authority and indeed the legal responsibility to fix those problems under Maine's election laws. Anyone who commits voter fraud can and should be prosecuted under Maine law.
Maine has a long, proud history of high voter participation and highly secure elections. If the Secretary of State is concerned that any administrative or clerical errors threaten our voting system, then immediate action, not further study, is required.
