Third Edition of Report Highlights Maine’s Strong Democracy and Where It Can Improve
[Portland, ME] — We’re living through a tumultuous year in American politics.
We are just now getting back to the new normal after our 2020 elections were rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic. The repercussions of an unprecedented insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in January 2021 are still playing out. Our legislative bodies reflect serious divisions in the body politic which remain potent and evident right here in Maine. New threats to the democratic process seem to emerge every day through mis- and disinformation.
There is nothing more timely than Democracy Maine’s new report, State of Maine Democracy, which assesses the health of Maine’s government and democracy. This is the third edition of the report, with the first edition released in April 2020, just after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
State of Maine's Democracy
Published April 2023
This report offers a broad and objective perspective on Maine’s democracy in several selected areas: an analysis of our representative government, the effect of poverty and housing on voter turnout, voting rights and barriers to voting, election methods, conduct of elections, money in politics, newspapers and media access, digital equity, and more.
In each chapter, key indicators study whether certain trends in Maine are positive or negative. Where possible, the report compares Maine with other states to provide a larger context.
“Overall, we find that Maine ranks high as a democratically governed state, and we should be justifiably proud of our record. We often say that Maine paves the way for voting rights and democracy. But there are still some areas that bear watching or where we need to improve.” said Anna Kellar, Executive Director for Democracy Maine. This report examines and assesses the state of democracy in Maine using publicly-available data, published reports, and research conducted by Democracy Maine, a collaboration of three organizations including the League of Women Voters of Maine, and Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, and Maine Students Vote.
Click here to read the report.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Like many states, Maine has seen a drastic decline over the years in the number of local newspapers and newspaper circulation, with 13% of the population living in a "news desert." This loss of local newspapers and greater sharing of bylines across newspapers is worrisome, given the diminished coverage of local news and the impact on in-depth, investigative journalism. Even more troubling is the rise of pseudo-local news websites that employ out-of-state freelancers to write articles paid for by undisclosed “clients,” typically conservative operatives.
- Maine leads the nation in protecting voting rights with same-day registration, no photo identification requirement, and no felony disenfranchisement. Full implementation of automatic voter registration last year is removing further barriers to voter registration and participation.
- Although Maine is among the highest turnout states, a significant percentage of registered voters still do not participate in each election, and this has historically been especially true in the districts with the highest poverty rates or lowest rates of owner-occupied housing.
- Maine is fortunate to enjoy well-run elections overall, having experienced few serious election issues in the last 20 years, including in the very challenging COVID-19 election of 2020. Maine continues to use paper ballots in all elections, ensures security of the ballots during storage and transportation, allows for public monitoring of critical ballot processing activities, has strong recount protocols, and has a high rate of valid cast ballots absentee voting, despite a continuing increase in the number of absentee ballots cast. A post-election ballot audit system is under development that will help ensure that systemic tabulation and process errors are detected and corrected.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:
"Many people across Maine are hungry for a nonpartisan assessment of issues affecting the health of our democracy, elections, voting, and access to information. The League of Women Voters' State of Our Democracy Report is an excellent resource for examining both where Maine can be proud of our record and where there is room to improve. Whether you are a Republican, a Democrat or an unenrolled voter, this report is must reading if you care about protecting our democratic institutions.”
⎯ Hon. Roger Katz, former State Senator
The League of Women Voters of Maine (LWVME), Maine Citizens for Clean Elections (MCCE), and Maine Students Vote (MSV), in collaboration as Democracy Maine, work together to make government more equitable, inclusive, and accessible by improving elections, protecting and engaging voters, and reducing the influence of private money in politics.