The Brief: Your September Update

Are you ready to vote on Tuesday, November 3? In just a few weeks, Maine voters will decide every seat in the state legislature, a U.S. Senate race, both congressional seats, an open race for governor, and more.

Now is the time to make a voting plan. If you plan to vote by mail-in/absentee ballot, we recommend requesting and returning your ballot as soon as possible. Here are some important deadlines:

• 10/5: Early in-person/absentee voting begins at your municipal clerk's office.
• 10/22: The Secretary of State's recommended deadline for putting your absentee ballot in the mail. We recommend returning your ballot as soon as possible to make sure it arrives by 8 p.m. on Election Day. You can request and track your ballot through the maine.gov website.
• 10/29: Last day to request a mail-in/absentee ballot and last day to vote early/absentee in-person at your municipal clerk's office.
• 11/3: Election Day. You can register to vote all the way through Election Day. You can register in-person at your city or town office, or at your polling place when you vote.

Visit our Voter Information Center to register to vote online, request an absentee ballot, track your ballot, know your rights, and more.

This year, we have partnered with the League of Women Voters of Maine to help ensure that our elections remain safe, free, and secure. Learn what we're doing to protect your vote.

Back-to-school season is here! Do you know your rights?

We partnered with GLAD Law and EqualityMaine to create an updated Know Your Rights guide for students, faculty, staff, and families. The guide covers a range of topics, including how new ICE Out of Maine laws provide important protections for immigrant students and their families.

We also explain what a recent Supreme Court decision, West Virginia v. BPJ, means for transgender students. The Court upheld a state law that banned trans students from school sports – but that decision does not change Maine's state-law protections for transgender students.

The guide also covers LGBTQ+ rights, freedom of speech, disability rights, and much more.

• Voting Rights – We recently filed an amicus brief in U.S. v. Bellows, urging a federal appeals court to reject the Trump administration's attempt to access sensitive Maine voter data. We already won this argument at the trial court, and it's part of similar ACLU efforts to protect voters in more than 20 states.
• Free Speech – In July, we sued the government after our client, social media influencer @CatsOnACouch, was barred from an official vice-presidential event in Bangor simply because she criticized Vice President Vance online. In August, our lawsuit led the government to allow her to attend an event in Brewer.
• Free Speech & Academic Freedom – The federal government is attempting an ideological takeover of academic institutions by targeting students, faculty, and organizations. We filed amicus briefs in two cases defending the First Amendment and academic freedom on college campuses.
• Religious Freedom & LGBTQ Rights – A federal appeals court recently ruled that private schools participating in publicly funded programs are not exempt from the Maine Human Rights Act's ban on discrimination against students based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

On Wednesday, July 29, three ICE Out of Maine laws took effect: ICE Out of Policing, ICE Out of Our Homes, and ICE Out of Schools and State Healthcare. The laws ensure Maine's resources are not used to support reckless and chaotic federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.

Now, we're working to make sure our state and local officials comply with the new laws.

First, we wrote letters to hundreds of entities responsible for following the laws, including sheriff's departments, housing authorities, public schools, state agencies, public colleges and universities, state libraries, and state healthcare facilities. Our letters explained each entity's responsibilities under the new laws to help public officials understand and follow them.

Next, we're continuing to use public records requests to find out if these laws are being followed. Digging into public records will help us monitor how agencies are putting these new requirements into practice and identify any violations.

We'll share updates as we track compliance. In the meantime, you can help us hold state and local officials accountable, too. Contact your city councilors, state representative, and state senator to ask how they will uphold ICE Out of Maine laws.

You can also sign our petition to show public support for the ICE Out of Maine laws and receive specific ICE Out updates when there are actions you can take in your home community.