A proposal aimed at easing the burden on municipal clerks around Election Day was opposed Monday by several groups that said eliminating same-day voter registration would disenfranchise Maine voters.
L.D. 1376, sponsored by House Speaker Bob Nutting, R-Oakland, and supported by Secretary of State Charlie Summers, would ban absentee voting during the two business days before Election Day for most voters, and eliminate registration for most voters during the same period and on Election Day.
“The rapid increase in absentee voting in the last decade has created new challenges for our municipalities,” Nutting said during a public hearing before the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee.
The Maine Town and City Clerks Association testified in support of the proposal, but said it would favor an amendment to remove the restrictions on voter registration.
“I am a little bit concerned about disenfranchising voters. I’d much prefer to continue with the process we have in place,” said Patti Dubois, Bangor’s city clerk.
Full Article: Critics: GOP bill would disenfranchise Maine voters | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram.