This Saturday is Juneteenth, the anniversary of when the final slaves received news of their liberation and were emancipated by the Union Army in Texas on June 19, 1865. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, officially abolishing slavery in the United States, but not all enslaved people immediately found freedom. Rebel states refused to comply. The Proclamation had been designed to free over four million slaves, yet slavery continued to be legal in Kentucky and Delaware up until the 13th Amendment went into effect on December 15, 1865 — only 156 years ago.
Racial equity is far from a reality, and it's one of the many reasons the League supports D.C. Statehood. Without statehood rights, the population of Washington D.C., which is majority people of color, are often disenfranchised. We need to make sure that D.C.'s majority black population has equal voting rights.
NEWS:
The Legislature is scheduled to be in session Monday through Wednesday this week. Here is the link to the Legislative Calendar. If this were a normal, regular session, statutory adjournment would have been on June 16. Although this session has been anything but normal, they may still be trying to finish up by Wednesday, but there’s still a lot of big work to do. Will they make it?
Most of our priority bills are seeing good results in the Maine House and Senate. We couldn't be more pleased, and it might start to feel like Christmas in July. Knock on wood.
WHAT THE LEAGUE IS WORKING ON:
This past Tuesday, local elections were held in many municipalities, and the League’s nonpartisan observers were out at several polling places. The League conducted observations at all 11 polling places in Portland and also observed in Yarmouth. Generally speaking, we found voters had a smooth and safe election experience, with most COVID precautions still in place despite no longer being mandatory. A special tip of the cap to the poll workers in Portland, who helped voters navigate the city's first multi-winner ranked-choice vote election. Our observers came away impressed at the commitment of local election officials to conduct accessible and transparent elections.
- LD 148: Ongoing absentee voting — Passed to be enacted in the House, awaiting final passage on the Special Appropriations Table in the Senate, which is sometimes where good bills go to die if they cost money. This one costs just a little. We live in hope.
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LD 202: Constitutional amendment for ranked choice voting for governor and legislature — Failed to reach the 2/3rds vote needed in the House for a constitutional amendment. It’s over, just waiting on the formalities.
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LD 231: Semi-open primaries — Passed to be enacted in the House, awaiting final passage on the Special Appropriations Table in the Senate. This measure seems to have a bit of momentum. Call now to support LD 231.
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LD 1126: Online voter registration — Passed to be enacted in the House, awaiting final passage on the Special Appropriations Table in the Senate. We are very optimistic.
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LD 1155: Audits and election transparency — Tabled in the House and awaiting final language on a floor amendment. This important measure is likely to carry a price tag, but it's so important to do.
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LD 1363: The Secretary of State's housekeeping bill — Passed to be enacted in the House. Headed for passage in the Senate, could be today. This includes a lot of good stuff after the 2020 election, including expanding drop boxes and mandating absentee ballot cure procedures.
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LD 1417: Corporate contribution ban — Got a strong, bipartisan vote in the Senate. Expect House action possible today.
- LD 1575: Good election measures — Passed to be enacted in both chambers, awaiting the Governor’s signature. The law would improve voter information, protect the rights of nonpartisan observers, and ensure consistent treatment of student IDs when registering to vote.