History fact for today: Fifty-four years ago, on April 11, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibiting housing discrimination and providing protection for civil rights workers. President Johnson viewed this important legislation as a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who had been assassinated just days before.
Celebrate Our Election Heroes: We owe a debt of gratitude to Maine's election officials. These dedicated public servants are unsung heroes of our democracy. They work tirelessly to assist voters, run orderly and secure elections, and count every vote.
On April 12, we'll celebrate all the election heroes out there: all the folks in the Secretary of State’s office, town and city clerks, election wardens, poll workers, and volunteers. Join Us.
Deadline to File Federal Taxes is Monday, April 18; April 19 for State Taxes in Maine: When you are filling out your Maine tax forms, you can check a box to designate $3 to the Maine Clean Election Fund. This helps to finance the election campaigns of qualifying Clean Election candidates. The Clean Election check-off is on Line 1 of the Maine Income Tax form. It will NOT increase your tax bill, and it will NOT decrease your refund. Learn more here.
Election Season: This year's election cycle is now upon us, which means candidates will be running via public funding — or not. If you have a preferred candidate, consider making a $5 contribution to the Maine Clean Election Fund so that they can qualify for Maine Clean Elections Act funding. The qualifying deadline is April 20. Taking action like this helps to boost the Clean Elections program. Learn more here.
Don't forget: the current session is scheduled to conclude April 20. Two more bills have crossed the finish line, while others are still up in the air (like audits, semi-open primaries, and the tribal sovereignty bill). The next ten days will be crunch time for some important bills that need funding in the budget. But here’s the big news from this week:
Municipal Ranked Choice Voting (LD 859): This bill would allow towns to adopt RCV for municipal elections. Signed into law!- An Act to Protect Election Officials (LD 1821): Originally, this bill would have made it a Class C crime (a felony) to intentionally interfere with a public official performing an official function relating to a federal, state, or municipal election. As amended under this bill, these crimes remain Class D crimes (misdemeanors), but they can be referred for prosecution to the Attorney General’s office. The amended bill also institutes Secretary of State tracking for these incidents and de-escalation training for municipal election officials. Signed into law!
Thank Election Heroes Day: What It Takes To Run Elections
Hosted on Zoom.
Tuesday, April 12
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Register here
Meet your Election MVPs! Elections can't run without people. Normal folks are behind the scenes helping to register voters, print ballots, train poll workers, and hundreds of other tasks that make up a smooth election day. We’ll be joined by Shelly Crosby, Town Clerk in Orono; Secretary of State Shenna Bellows; and Center For Tech and Civic Life Advocacy Director Keara Fenzel to discuss these important issues, answer your questions, and more.