Happy March! Spring is just around the corner. The days are getting longer, and soon we'll embrace Daylight Savings Time, “spring forward,” and set our clocks ahead. That’s March 14, by the way. Don’t forget.
The full Legislature has not been in session all month due to COVID-19 restrictions. The Senate met last week, socially distanced in the larger House chamber, to confirm some gubernatorial appointments. For the House to meet with social distancing, the Civic Center might be required. We are hearing “perhaps” March 10 and 11? The legislative calendar has been cleared of committee hearings for those two days. You can see the full calendar here.
Looking ahead, we’re also preparing for that special election in District 14 on Tuesday, March 9.
NEWS:
This week's lineup: We plan to testify on two bills this week in the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee (VLA) . You can see the full committee schedules here. Our testimony is archived at lwvme.org.
LD 451 — An Act To Remove the Party Designation from Return Envelopes for Absentee Ballots for the General Election. LWVME supports.
LD 456 — An Act To Protect Voter Identification by Prohibiting a Voter's Party Designation from Appearing on Absentee Ballot Envelopes. LWVME supports.
Thursday, February 25: Secretary Bellows testified in support of H.R. 1, the "For the People Act," in front of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on House Administration. In her testimony, Bellows described the voting rights that Mainers enjoy, such as same-day voter registration and no-excuse absentee voting. H.R. 1 would streamline these services nationwide, as well as put into place additional accessibility measures and resources. As Bellows said, "H.R. 1 is critical because it eliminates barriers and lifts up the voices of ordinary people in our democracy. It builds upon tried and true best practices already proven to work in states like Maine and across the country."
WHAT THE LEAGUE IS WORKING ON
Be an election observer: The League is seeking volunteers to conduct election observation for the upcoming special election on March 9 for Senate District 14, in southern Kennebec County. Nonpartisan election observation is an important role the League plays to help validate the election procedures and results, and it’s a great opportunity to learn about the Election Day process first hand. We will provide a short training this week and all of the materials you need to be an effective election observer. If you are available to observe a polling place on March 9 for a few hours, email Will at will@lwvme.org.
Check out our Mainers for the National Popular Vote Facebook page. Give it a "Like" and encourage your family and friends to also like/follow the page. Link: facebook.com/MaineNPV
An easy grassroots activity: As part of our National Popular Vote grassroots activism, you can check to see if your library has a copy of Let the People Pick the President and if not, request that they purchase one by emailing their library director. Here's a sample email you can send to your library:
My name is _____ [insert your name] and my library card number is ________ [insert your library card number]. I'm emailing to suggest that you purchase Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College by Jesse Wegman for the _____ [insert your library's name]. I read the book recently, and it was a really good overview of the history of the electoral college, its impact on presidential elections, and various efforts to reform it. I'm also a member with the League of Women Voters of Maine, and we are running a virtual, statewide book group for this book, so I would love to see public libraries around the state, including _____ [insert your library's name], have a copy on hand for folks.