Portland City Attorneys Conducting ‘Legal Research’ Into Whether Councilor Pious Ali Violated Electioneering Laws

Portland’s Corporation Counsel’s Office is conducting “legal research” into whether City Councilor At-Large Pious Ali violated a state law against electioneering near polling places by recording himself telling someone how to vote outside City Hall on June 13’s Election Day.

On Wednesday, the Maine Wire obtained an email sent by Paul Riley, Elections Administrator for Portland, in which he says he has forwarded Ali’s video to the city’s attorneys for review due to an ethics complaint.

“We have forwarded [the video] to the Corporation Counsel’s office for review about what can be done under City authority,” Riley wrote.

According to comment provided to the Maine Wire on Thursday from Portland Spokesperson Jessica Grondin, the city is “aware of the issue,” and the Corporation Counsel’s Office is “doing some legal research into it.”

“However, I want to be clear, there is no investigation into Councilor Ali,” Grondin said.

During Portland Mayor Kate Snyder’s monthly Zoom meeting on Thursday, she said she is “aware that video was posted to Facebook,” but that she is “not at all involved.”

“I believe Corporation Counsel is reviewing that at this time,” Mayor Snyder said.

[RELATED: “Oops, did I just campaign?” Portland City Councilor Records Himself Telling Person How to Vote Outside City Hall]

Councilor Ali went live on Facebook outside of a side entrance to City Hall on the morning of last week’s municipal elections, and appears to tell a man off-camera how to vote on that day’s two ballot questions.

“So, I’m telling people to vote yes on the school board,” Ali says to the man off-camera.

“Oops, did I just campaign?” Ali says. “No, he was asking me what to vote…he’s from my community, and I said yes on the school budget and no on…[inaudible]…Question A.”

Under Maine state law, it is illegal to influence or attempt to influence another person’s voting decisions within a polling location or within 250 feet of public property where votes are being cast.

Violating the law against electioneering near polling locations is a Class E crime, punishable by up to six months incarceration and a $1,000 fine.

The city’s website displays a map the 250-foot campaign free zone — in his livestream, Ali can be seen standing at the edge of the restricted zone while walking down Myrtle Street adjacent to City Hall.

In a phone interview last week, Councilor At-Large Ali claimed that he was not telling the off-camera man himself how to vote, but was just informing him that he was telling the viewers of his livestream how to respond to that day’s ballot questions.

Ali denied any wrongdoing, saying that what he did was not in violation of any laws.

Councilor Ali did not respond to a request for comment Thursday morning on the Corporation Counsel Office’s review of his election day video by the time this article was published.