News & Commentary

This morning at 10 am at the State House, Secretary of State Matt Dunlap will deliver a report by the Commission to Study the Conduct of Elections in Maine.  On balance, the report, which you can read here, is very exciting! The Commission rejects voter ID and endorses same day voter registration and early voting!  Today's Portland Press Herald captures our jubilance.  We are indeed thrilled. This outcome is a testament to the power of grassroots action.  The Commission held eight public hearings across the state from August through November.  ACLU members attended every single one of those hearings.  Thank you, all of you who gave up a summer or fall evening in Maine to witness hours of testimony and share your own stories! Our voting rights organizer, Diane Gilman, worked tirelessly to publicize the hearings in local communities, so that people could participate in this critical conversation about voting rights.  Over and over again, Maine voters testified in opposition to voter ID and in support of same day voter registration and early voting.      The very creation of the Commission was controversial, as it was the creature of compromise reached last legislative session when it was clear that a voter ID bill had failed to win enough votes for passage.  Some feared that the Commission would rubber stamp the voter ID proposal. Those fears were allayed when the Commission report was leaked to the Huffington Post yesterday.   We do not agree with everything in the report.  The Commission recommends some changes to statute to potentially tighten residency requirements for voting, a change that could have the impact of discouraging young people, particularly college students who move to Maine to attend school, from voting.  We think such changes undermine the fundamental constitutional right to vote and should be viewed with skepticism given the lack of any evidence that there's a problem in Maine.  We also think the recommendation runs counter to heartfelt testimony by some students at the public hearings that they already felt chilled and discouraged from voting in the 2011 elections.  We also feel the Commission did not adequately heed the concerns raised multiple times about the negative impact that eliminating in-person absentee voting on the Friday, Saturday, and Monday before an election had on Maine voters during the 2012 elections. Nevertheless, Mainers will have an opportunity to put grassroots pressure into action on these issues this legislative session.  Rep. Mike Shaw (D-Standish) is sponsoring a constitutional amendment to allow early voting, LD 156.  LD 53 and LD 54 sponsored by Rep. Henry Beck (D-Waterville) and Representative Nathan Libby (D-Lewiston) would increase access to in-person absentee voting.  The ACLU of Maine will vigorously support these bills, which would make it easier for Maine citizens to participate in elections.  Democracy depends on it.

Yesterday, I sat in on the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee meeting where Commissioner Ponte testified before the committee about his decision to close down the Central Maine Pre-Release Center in Hallowell. The pre-release center in Hallowell houses low-security prisoners with 12 months left to serve. Inmates in the unit participate in a work release program, which allows them to gain work experience, develop connections with local businesses, and save money in anticipation of release. Folks who participate in the program re-enter society on more solid footing, and are thus less likely to re-offend. With the closing of the Hallowell facility, the pre-release program would move to the Bolduc facility in Warren. Committee members expressed concern over this move, noting that inmates would have less job opportunities in Warren, which could lead to higher rates of recidivism. We support Maine's pre-release program and share the committee's concern that relocating inmates to Warren will limit the success of the program. Moving forward, we hope that Commissioner Ponte will ensure that the pre-release program continues to serve Maine communities.

Toda

Visiting schools around the state to teach students about the Constitution is one of the most enjoyable things we do at the ACLU of Maine. It’s exhilarating to explore the Bill of Rights with high school students who are just beginning to grapple with complex issues like free speech, equal protection, and the legality of police searches. It’s exciting to hear their ideas and answer their questions. This year, we’re especially psyched because we have so many new things to discuss with students that will help bring the Constitution alive and showcase for them just how important a centuries-old document can still be today.   Every year we travel the state and present workshops on a variety of topics. We’ll go anywhere in Maine, and our appearances are always free. This year, we’re excited to add a new workshop to our catalog. With last year’s passage of the anti-bullying bill, students will begin to see changes in their school when it comes to bullying. In our new workshop, we’ll educate them about what the new law says, and why its protections are rooted in the Constitution and the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection.   In addition to this new lesson, we’ve also updated our other curriculum so that we aren’t just presenting the Bill of Rights as you’d find it in an old textbook. With real life cases from the past year integrated into our existing workshops, we have fresh examples of civil liberties issues that will get young people thinking critically. We never tell students what side to take on a particular issue, but we do hope to make them as excited about the Constitution as we are.   If you are interested in having the ACLU of Maine visit your classroom this spring, please contact me at 774-5444 or [email protected]. I’d be happy to tell you more about the workshops we offer and to schedule a visit.

 

Yesterday, we participated in an LGBT forum at the State House. Twenty senators and representatives from both sides of the aisle attended. Alongside our partners Equality Maine and GLAD from the Yes on 1 campaign, we briefed legislators on marriage equality, since the new law went into effect just a few weeks ago.  On December 29, 2012, Mainers in same-sex relationships were finally given the right to marry their partners. Public officials, like town clerks and notaries who perform marriages, may not refuse to marry same-sex couples.  That would be discrimination under Maine law. The new law makes clear that no religious institution is required to perform same-sex marriages. As we get further into the legislative session, we're on the look out for bills that would allow public officials to used religion to discriminate against same-sex couples.  But for now, we're happy to report that we have not heard any stories of same-sex couples being discriminated against at the altar!

The ACLU has been at the forefront of the immigrants’ rights movement for 25 years. So, not surprisingly, we have a message for lawmakers as they prepare to debate federal immigration reform. In the wake of yesterday’s announcement by President Obama, we are urging policymakers to endorse and promote a set of priorities that will ensure all people’s civil rights are protected. This means immigration reform must honor and preserve our country's longstanding constitutional promise of equality to all.   I encourage you to read through our complete framework for reform, which lays out the key principles that must be advanced through any legislation. There are components of the proposed Senate plan that we find encouraging, and others that raise serious civil liberties concerns. Here is a brief run-down of the major priorities we’ve identified, with much more detail to be found in our full framework.

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