Back in April 2020, once it became clear that the emerging COVID threat would grow into a global pandemic, we knew that our primary and general elections would need protection. Free and fair elections are the essence of democracy. We would need to work with other stakeholders to meet the challenge of holding fair and accessible elections while protecting public health.
We formed a coalition with a dozen other advocacy groups. We reached out to town clerks across the state. We submitted our recommendations to the governor and secretary of state. Our mission remained consistent: to make sure that every eligible voter could participate in a safe and secure election.
Our usual programming and in-person events had to be terminated, and like the rest of the world, we adapted to Zoom and conference calls. While our voter registration drives were not as robust as in previous years, we still canvassed through our Neighbor to Neighbor program and incorporated a new Youth Council, geared towards the impressive and socially-conscious Generation Z.
There are thousands of puzzle pieces that make up an election. The administration and people-power that goes on behind the scenes is remarkable. Each medium-sized city or tiny town has its own secure way of running an election. We were on the sidelines cheering them on but also there to provide suggestions and recommendations.
The result of all this work by advocacy groups, volunteers, election officials, town clerks, municipal workers, and the secretary of state’s office is a record voter turnout in the 2020 election. Maine boasts a higher than average voter participation rate compared to other states. However, barriers to voting prevent some voters of lower socio-economic status, disabled voters, black, indigenous, and people of color from participating in our democracy.
This report outlines what we did. We will describe the advocacy and structural work that we adopted for the challenge of running an election during COVID. We had more than 100 volunteers on the ground on Election Day, and we have over 300 reports from the field. Finally, this report provides a few lessons on what we learned, and of course, a few recommendations.
After all, the League stands for the rights of all people to be active participants in their government. We educate voters, empower people to participate in civic life, and advocate for policies that strengthen our democracy.
Post-Election Report: Maine's 2020 Election
Published December 2020
A new report outlines what we did to prepare for Election Day. We describe the advocacy and structural work that we adopted for the challenge of running an election during COVID. We had more than 100 volunteers on the ground on Election Day, and we have over 300 reports from the field. Finally, this report provides a few lessons on what we learned, and of course, a few recommendations.