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The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com Paul LePage is the former governor of Maine and a Republican candidate for Congress in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. Two weeks ago, 250 blank Maine ballots were found in a random women’s Amazon delivery, in a box delivered right to her door. It made national news. Yet, our Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who is ultimately responsible for ballot security, is acting like it is an anomaly. It is not. Those of us who have lived in Maine for a long time remember the days of John Martin, Maine’s longtime speaker of the house, when his aides were caught breaking into ballot boxes and stuffing them to ensure Democrats won elections. This also comes after Bellows admitted in an interview that there are likely non-citizens on Maine’s voter rolls. At the same time she has refused to allow the federal government to check those same voter rolls. Maine people have the opportunity to secure and strengthen our elections this Nov. 4 by voting “yes” on Question 1 to pass voter ID into Maine law. This should not be complicated. Voter ID is already used across this country. The non-partisan National Conference of State Legislatures reports, “36 states have laws requesting or requiring voters to show some form of identification at the polls.” That’s well more than half of the United States! Sadly, Maine is not one of them. More than 170,000 Maine voters signed a petition to put voter ID on the ballot for this November. That’s more than twice the number required. By any measure, that should be considered a mandate from the people. But, Shenna Bellows has clearly shown to me that she is going to play politics instead of effectively managing the small bureaucracy under her control. She attempted to keep President Donald Trump off the ballot last year and deny tens of thousands of Maine people the opportunity to make a choice in a presidential election, a battle she lost. Now I believe she has weaponized the citizens’ initiative process by writing the longest ballot question in Maine history, designed, I think, to confuse people over what they are voting on in Question 1. Mainers know I am a straight shooter, so let me translate Question 1. If it was written fairly, here’s what I believe it would say: “Do you want to require voters to show photo ID when voting in person and absentee?” Everything else is clutter meant to scare voters away from supporting a reform that is currently in use across the country. Let me be clear, with Question 1 absentee voting is not going away. About 40% of Mainers already vote absentee, and they will continue to do so. Question 1 preserves that option for all voters, via online, mail, or in-person application. Seniors, service members, and busy parents will still be able to vote absentee for any reason. You will be asked to provide a photo ID when you vote — whether at the polling place or via absentee ballot. That’s not voter suppression. That’s voter protection. It’s the same safeguard you use when boarding a plane, cashing a check or picking up tickets at a box office. If identification is expected in all those everyday transactions, why should we demand less when it comes to something as important as voting? Mainers are practical people. We believe in fairness, accountability and honesty. We also believe that elections should be beyond reproach. We believe every voter should have the confidence that their ballot is counted and counted only once. That’s why over 170,000 signed a petition to put Question 1 on this November’s ballot. That’s why people across party lines are saying enough is enough. On Nov. 4, you have the chance to cut through the political spin and send a clear message: Maine voters want secure elections. Maine voters want integrity. Maine voters want the truth. Vote “yes” on Question 1 to require voter ID. It’s not partisan. It’s not complicated. It’s just common sense. Election notice: The BDN will stop accepting letters and columns related to the Nov. 4 election on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Not all submissions can be published.
