Maine GOP pushes for voter ID requirement

(The Center Square) — Supporters of requiring photo identification to cast ballots in Maine's elections are making a push to put the question before the state’s voters in November.

A proposal, spearheaded by the state's Republican Party and a conservative political action committee, calls for putting a referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot that would require voters to show ID to cast ballots in federal, state and local elections.

Backers of the proposal, including The Dinner Table PAC, say they collected an estimated 40,000 signatures during the state's June primary and expect to get more at upcoming signature drives. They need at least 67,000 signatures by an Aug. 8 deadline. If not, the measure would be added to the 2025 ballot.

"The Maine legislature has repeatedly refused to strengthen our elections via legislation like Voter ID," the committee posted on its website. "We, the citizens, can do what the legislature will not and take the question directly to Maine voters at the ballot box, thanks to our 1st amendment right to petition our government."

Under the proposal, Maine voters would be required to show a driver’s license, passport, military ID, or a "free non-driver identification card" to cast their ballots. Voters who cast their ballots through the mail would be required to include a photocopy of their identification sent to local election clerks for processing, according to the plan. It would limit drop boxes for ballots and require that they be managed by a "bipartisan team" of election officials.

The conservative Maine Policy Institute is among those seeking approval of a voter ID requirement, calling it a "commonsense reform would protect against fraud and restore faith in our election system."

Maine's Republican minority has pushed for voter ID rules for years, pointing out that at least 36 other states require some form of photo ID to cast a ballot in federal, state or local elections.

But Democrats have repeatedly rejected the proposals, mostly recently in June, arguing the efforts were aimed at voter suppression and would disenfranchise the elderly, minorities, and others who may lack photo identification.

The proposals were opposed by the state's top election official, Secretary of State Sheena Bellows, a Democrat and former state lawmaker, who said it would create logistical and financial burdens and result in discrimination. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has also threatened to veto any voter ID bills if they reach her desk.

But Republicans say recent polls show that the state's voters support voter ID requirements and argue that there is an urgency in setting the protections, with recent reports of noncitizens being registered to vote in Maine and other states through new systems for driver's licenses and other official records.

"Look, it doesn’t matter whether you believe voter fraud exists," state Rep. Scott Cyrway, R-Albio, said Sunday in the Republican Party's weekly radio address. "The only thing that matters is whether we can put in safeguards to prevent fraud from happening at all."

Last week, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill 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 Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act is intended to prevent noncitizens from voting, which is already illegal since, under current U.S. law, only citizens can vote in federal elections. However, supporters of the measure point out the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 prohibits states from confirming citizenship status.

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.