So-called “election integrity” proposals create barriers, undermine voting rights
[Augusta, ME] — On the anniversary of civil rights activists’ march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma and the ensuing violence known as Bloody Sunday that led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the fundamental right to vote remains under assault across the country.
Today, three Maine legislators held a press conference to promote their bills undermining the freedom to vote by creating more barriers to voting in Maine.
The following statement can be attributed to the Mainers for Modern Elections coalition:
“Across the country, we’ve seen some politicians try to divide and distract us so they can threaten our democracy and limit our freedoms, including the freedom to vote. Now a few legislators in Maine are offering a package of so-called 'election integrity' measures that are nothing more than barriers to keep eligible Mainers from voting while doing nothing to make our elections more secure. Protecting and preserving our freedoms, including our freedom to vote, is critical to maintaining our democracy, and that bills like these do little but turn eligible voters away."
If proponents of these bills really wanted to strengthen Maine’s safe and secure elections, they could advocate for proven solutions like ongoing absentee voting, increased support for election workers, additional funding for state and local election administrators to have sufficient trained staff, and other needed updates to modernize our elections.”
Mainers for Modern Elections is a coalition committed to ensuring that our right to vote safely transcends politics and partisanship. The coalition advocates for safe, secure, modern elections and is committed to securing equitable access to the ballot for every eligible Maine voter. Members include AARP Maine, the ACLU of Maine, League of Women Voters of Maine, Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, Maine Conservation Voters, Represent US, Center for Secure and Modern Election, Maine AFL-CIO, Maine Equal Justice, Maine Women’s Lobby, Maine People’s Alliance, Defend Our Health, Maine Service Employees Association, Maine Education Association, and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.