A special commission studying Maine’s election system has given a firm thumbs down to the suggestion that Maine adopt voter ID. The Commission to Study the Conduct of Elections in Maine, which was appointed last May, released its findings today. Tom Porter has more. “This is an excellent report,” says Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap. Dunlap gives high marks to the Commission to Study the Conduct of Elections in Maine, which was appointed last May, and came to its findings after holding eight public hearings, “They worked very, very hard on it,” Dunlap says. “And it’s a reflection of some very, very honest work, based on feedback they got at their hearings.” Dunlap told members of the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee that the he agreed with commission’s 4 to 1 vote to reject voter ID, a measure that would require voters to present identification before they cast a ballot.
It’s an issue that had been kep alive by the very creation of the commission, set up by former Republican Secretary of State Charlie Summers last May.
“We certainly hope that this report lays to rest the controversies about voting rights that have taken place in Maine over the last couple of years,” says Shenna Bellows, executive director of the Maine branch of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Bellows says voters rejected a proposed same-day voter registration requirement back in 2011, and have made their feelings clear. “Maine voters have expressed that they want to protect the franchise and make it easier not harder to vote.”
And Bellows says the new report also lays to rest what she believes has been another myth about Maine’s election system. “One of the things that the commission found in this report is that there’s little or no evidence of voter fraud,” she says. “Maine elections work very well.”
Full Article: Maine Special Commission Rejects Voter ID.