Backers of voter ID in Maine eye 2025 ballot

(The Center Square) — Supporters of providing photo identification to cast ballots in Maine elections are planning to put the question before the state’s voters.

If approved, the proposal would require Mainers to present a photo ID at polling stations or when requesting an absentee ballot for federal, state and local elections. The plan includes an exemption for voters who object to being photographed for religious reasons.

Alex Titcomb, the lead petitioner for the Voter ID for Maine proposal, said volunteers for the grassroots effort collected more than 165,000 signatures to put the question on the ballot, a majority of them during last Tuesday's presidential election. The group plans to submit the signed petitions to the secretary of state's office for review and certification, the first of several hurdles to make the November 2025 ballot.

"We are confident that Maine voters will pass the ballot question next year even with a suspected strong opposition campaign led by those who oppose this common sense policy," Titcomb said.

He expects legal challenges but said the proposal was "modeled after other successful voter ID laws that have been passed in other states and that have been upheld in court."

Under the proposal, voters who don’t have ID or forget to bring it with them would still be allowed to cast a ballot by filling out a provisional ballot. However, they would have to show a photo ID to a local election official within four days of the election for their vote to count.

Maine doesn't require photo ID to vote, but voters who register must sign an affidavit under the threat of criminal prosecution attesting to the fact that they are eligible to vote.

Maine Republicans have pushed for years to require voter ID, pointing out that at least 36 other states require some form of photo identification to cast a ballot in federal, state or local elections. They also point to state and national polls showing bipartisan support for the requirements.

Democrats who control the governor's office and state Legislature have repeatedly rejected the GOP proposals, most recently in June, saying the efforts are aimed at voter suppression and would disenfranchise the elderly, minorities and others who may lack photo identification. They also say voter fraud is largely nonexistent.

In Congress, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill in July requiring individuals registering to vote to provide proof of citizenship to participate in federal elections and require states to check their voter rolls for registered noncitizens. The Democratic-controlled Senate declined to take up the bill.

Maine's two Democratic House lawmakers were divided over the bill's passage. Rep. Jared Golden voted to support the measure, and Rep. Chellie Pingree joined other Democrats in voting against it.