Today OneMaine endorsed the Yes on 1/Protect Maine Votes campaign. OneMaine Board Chair Eliot Cutler said publicly, “I personally support keeping Election Day Voter Registration, and I’m delighted that the OneMaine board of advisors has decided to throw the full support of our organization behind this effort. Maine has a long tradition of citizen participation in state and local government, and we should all work together keep that tradition alive.” Also quoted in the article were two prominent Republicans including a former Republican party chairman, Ted O'Meara.
Two days ago, the Maine Municipal Association also endorsed the Yes on 1 campaign. In its endorsement the group said, "While municipal officials recognize that wardens and clerks are burdened by Election Day responsibilities and appreciate a legislative interest in reducing that burden, they believe the elimination of same-day voter registration will frustrate and be generally unhelpful for some voters and otherwise fails to get at the heart of the problem."
The Press Herald also pointed out that the Maine Municipal Association endorsement echoed the comments made by the Maine Town and City Clerks' Association to the legislature last spring.
This brings the list of organizations endorsing the Yes on 1 campaign to over twenty. You can check some of them out at the Yes on 1 website here. I am proud to be co-chairing a campaign that enjoys such significant and diverse support from the AARP to the League of Young Voters. We also represent Democrats, Independents, and Republicans.
Tomorrow at noontime (12:15 to be exact), I will be debating this issue against Lance Dutson, head of the Maine Heritage Policy Center, on Channel 6 "In the Arena" on the Yes on 1 question. (You can watch it online here after it happens.) Lance himself registered the Monday before Election Day in 2010, something that would be banned unless Question 1 passes. I am excited to share with television viewers everywhere the latest endorsements and the breadth of the awesome Yes on 1/Protect Maine Votes campaign.
