An old issue has come back in Augusta: voter ID. A bill sponsored by Sen. Ron Collins (R-Wells) would require Maine voters to show an ID before casting a ballot. The issue has been debated in the Legislature before. Republican staffers say it was proposed in 2011, but did not end up being passed into law at that time. Instead it was passed as a Legislative resolve. That was the same year the Republican majority passed a law eliminating same day voter registration, a law that was ultimately overturned by Maine voters in referendum.
… The Maine Civil Liberties Union is actively opposing the bill. The organization said requiring ID’s to vote would discriminate against poor and elderly voters, some of whom, it says, have a difficult time assembling the proper documents for ID, or getting from rural locations to places where they could obtain an ID. And while Sen. Collins said his bill would provide for free ID’s for those who can’t otherwise obtain them, ACLU Maine said passing the law could have the effect of discouraging poor or elderly or other disadvantaged people from voting.
Full Article: Voter ID brought back to the Leguislature.