Maine’s Legislative Council voted down a proposed bill to increase election security before the upcoming state primary and the potentially contentious general election in November.
[RELATED: South Portland City Clerk Reveals How Easily Non-Citizens Can Vote in Maine Elections…]
The bill, proposed by Rep. Heidi Sampson (R-Alfred), would have outlawed ballot harvesting, required voters to present a valid photo ID, and increased transparency by allowing representatives from both parties to observe all ballot handling activities.
Democratic leaders, who wield a majority on the Legislative Council, unanimously opposed the bill.
“It was a straight party-line vote as the members of The Legislative Council dispatched with my Election Integrity bill. Maine Democrats obviously embrace cheating. They flat-out reject accountability and transparency in our elections,” said Rep. Sampson in an email to The Maine Wire.
The bill would have made ballot harvesting, the practice of a third party transporting absentee ballots from numerous voters, a class C crime.
A disabled voter would still be able to have a relative or friend deliver an absentee ballot, but only after written authorization, and no one person would be permitted to deliver more than three absentee ballots.
The bill also would have created a class C crime for election officials who try to prevent designated representatives from both parties from observing election procedures and ballot handling.
The bill would have increased security surrounding absentee ballots, by requiring someone to request a ballot 14 days before the election, requiring a reason for voting absentee, such as a disability or an inability to reach the polling location, and would have discarded any absentee ballots received after the close of in-person voting.
Sampson’s bill would also have implemented the basic security measure of requiring photo ID’s, which Maine currently does not require.
As of 2024, eight states require valid photo ID in order to vote in U.S. elections, including Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Virginia.
Additionally, ten states have photo ID requirements for voting but offer alternative methods for verifying a voters identity. Those states include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Texas.
Maine is one of 15 states that requires no verification whatsoever of a voter’s identity.
The final vote on Sampson’s was split along party lines, with a result of 4-6.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="25870 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=25870">22 Comments
Democrats cannot be understood, but they can be underhanded and underthebus is where they belong.
I have made it a point to show my ID and birth certificate to the election clerk every time I vote. I would do the same to obtain an absentee ballot. I would mail a photocopy of my ID and B.C. with a mail-in ballot. I have also actually validated my ballot with my signature and the machine accepted it.
If we patriots would present our ID, just maybe the democrats would realize it is a pretty good system to prevent fraud, that’s if you wanted no fraud.
Someone ask the Democrats if they support doing away with requiring I’d to board a plane.
If they say they don’t ask them why they are against I’d for voting.
Hypocrites.
They are counting on illegals voting them into permanent power.
Well have fun with that because when everything goes down the toilet they’ll have no one else to blame.
Thank God they rejected it! It would have made it much harder for us democrats to cheat
“Maine Democrats obviously embrace cheating. They flat-out reject accountability and transparency in our elections,”
It’s obviously the only way they can win since the vast majority of sane, patriotic, law-abiding Mainers, who actually work for a living, disagree with their idiotic public policies. What’s even more despicable is that these left-wing political hacks aren’t the least bit embarrassed about the destructiveness their unwavering ideology is doing to the state and the country.
Just had to show an ID to get a library card…
The Communist DemocRats have no interest in having their license to steal cancelled.
Just proves Demorats can’t win without cheating
Heidi Sampson made an excellent presentation for common sense.
The Democrats are Soros people, have very little backing from Real Maine Citizens
On the other hand, the Republicans on this committee sat silently, sheepishly silent.
I know they’re no native liberals that frequent this site but if there were Id ask “after the patriots are gone how long do you think it will take before you’re replaced by the new slave class”?
If you are a NON citizen you do not need ID to get on a plane, get well fair, attend school and vote for some one to spend my wages. You a non citizen controling how my money is spent. That is slavery! well I will not work and you will not have my money. Ask Joe and independent Joe for it.
First they allow illegal immigrants to flood in then they refuse to require ID to vote. Hmmm, I wonder what there intention is.
I am going to bring a four leg-ed friend to vote, he has no Id. I am wondering if that will work?
Of course they did!
It is high time for conservatives, whether democrats, independents, or republicans, to wake up and band together in large numbers to vote out the likes of Jackson, Vitelli, Daughty, Ross, Terry, and Cloutier. Their mutual agenda for chaos and lawlessness is destroying our beloved Maine way of life.
Let’s just hope and pray that we are not too late!
We can all make a difference this fall. Get your friends who think their vote does not matter to actually vote. If anyone is paying attention our government is growing and as it grows it needs to feed on your taxes and fees. As it grows we all lose certain freedoms due to laws and mandates. There is a time coming when they will vote illegals the right to vote. Free speech today is only accepted if it’s nice and doesn’t go against the politically correct agenda. The Democrats are working hard to take away our means of self defense. Look at history, what always happens when groups of citizens give up their arms? Get out of your lane and please volunteer, participate and do something if not for you but for your grandchildren. Vote as if your life and that of your children’s children depends on it.
They welcome fraud! It’s clear that the voters in southern Maine and along the coast are OK with mail-in as it is because they win with it! Dems vote early and often.
Democrats aren’t even trying to hide their dishonesty anymore, they want power at any price and the dirty trick book on cheating in elections is on their required reading list.
You know nothing about Maine other than being cared for here by Democrats free everything programs.
You need to be instructed of the voting process by those in charge ,who are overseeing your progress as a new Maine citizen. .who might these people be ..and how will you vote ?
I’m going to email all those who voted NO and ask them why they voted No to ballot ID. I’ll see what they say.
Let’s all contact them and ask them WHY they would vote against a person required to show an ID in order to vote. Feel free to copy and paste.
troy.jackson@legislature.maine.gov
Eloise.Vitelli@legislature.maine.gov
Mattie.Daughtry@legislature.maine.gov
Rachel.TalbotRoss@legislature.maine.gov
Maureen.Terry@legislature.maine.gov
Kristen.Cloutier@legislature.maine.gov
Maine requires a photo I.D with a valid address in order to register to vote.
But… I recently moved and the address on my I.D was not correct because I hadn’t updated my I.D yet. I didn’t have a utility bill or lease in my name either as I was just renting a room temporarily at the time. The clown at the town office accepted a handwritten note signed by my roommate as proof of my local address. It wasn’t even notarized and the clown at the town office didn’t even meet my roommate or check her I.D to see if she lived at that address.
When I went to vote I offered my I.D with the incorrect address on it. The clowns at voter check in were adamant that I didn’t need to show an I.D. They just wanted me to tell them my name so they could find it on the list. I refused to state my name and insisted they look at my I.D. Finally, they did. They found my name and noted the address didn’t match what they had on the list of registered voters. Without consulting with me they conferred amongst themselves and decided that because my name was on the list that they had the address discrepancy didn’t matter. And they gave me my ballot with a smile.
Crazy!
So if I don’t show my I.D. to buy tobacco or beer can I still buy it? Of course, not I am an idiot, AKA tax paying citizen.
Of course they did. Their voter base doesn’t have id.