By Robert Wessels
In light of everything that has unfolded over the past few weeks, including the discovery
of hundreds of official Maine ballots delivered to a private home and the renewed
debate over election safeguards, I would like to throw a few thoughts out there. For
some time now, I’ve believed that Maine needs to create an electoral system that ALL
Mainers can trust. Recent events have only confirmed this belief. Maybe it was an
innocent mistake, maybe it wasn’t. Either way, it shook people’s faith, and once faith is
shaken, silence doesn’t repair it. Transparency does.
Maine people take pride in our elections. We show up, we volunteer, we trust our clerks
and neighbors to run the process fairly. But trust is not a system; it’s a value that must
be backed by proof. When something as serious as 250 official ballots ending up in an
Amazon box instead of a clerk’s office, that’s not a small hiccup; it’s a failure of control.
It shouldn’t happen, and it shouldn’t take a lucky delivery and an honest citizen to catch
it. The lesson here isn’t partisan; it’s practical. A system that can’t track its own ballots
needs attention before it needs excuses.
Ed Note: Question Number One on next month’s ballot not only asks Mainers if they support Voter ID at the polls, but also includes language to tighten the currently loose controls on absentee ballot distribution. Opponents of the measure have focused on this aspects rather than the Voter ID question itself — even though recent events highlight why stricter controls may be warranted.
Protection, Accountability, and Creating Confidence
Thirty-six states already require voter identification and I think it is a great first step
toward elections that we can have confidence in. The thirty-six states include both red
states and blue states. This is not about keeping people out; it’s about keeping the
process honest. It says your vote matters enough to verify. It protects your ballot from
being canceled out by someone who shouldn’t be voting. That’s not suppression. That’s
fairness.
Your vote is your voice. It belongs to you and no one else. Showing ID isn’t about
doubting who you are. This is about protecting your rights so no one else can claim
them. If someone were to walk into a polling place and say they’re you, the system
should be able to tell the difference. That’s not control; that’s protection. It makes sure
your ballot can never be borrowed, stolen, or replaced by someone pretending to be
you. That’s the kind of security that strengthens freedom instead of weakening it.
The Newburgh incident was a warning sign. Those ballots were supposed to be under
strict chain-of-custody rules—printed on secure paper, sealed, and shipped directly to
town clerks. Instead, they showed up at a private home. That shouldn’t be possible, and
it shouldn’t take luck and honesty to catch it. What we need now is an independent
investigation. One that includes both parties, law enforcement, and outside election-
security experts. We need to see what went wrong and how to fix it.
Alongside that, Maine should publicly release every shipping record and custody log related to those ballots, and then adopt simple reforms such as barcode tracking, tamper-evident seals, and real-time inventory reporting by town. These are not partisan demands; they’re basic safeguards any Mainer would expect in their own business.
Trust, Verification, and Leadership
When a large part of the population believes there is voter fraud, this needs to be
addressed, regardless of how likely it is or not, in order to restore trust. Avoiding the
topic feeds suspicion. Confronting it builds trust. As President Reagan reminded us,
“Trust, but verify.” That’s all this comes down to – faith in the system, backed by proof.
When people see a process that takes its own safeguards seriously, they trust the
outcome, even when their side loses.
The issue before us isn’t just about ballots or paperwork but about belief in the
foundation of our Republic. When people stop trusting that their vote counts, everything
in the government starts to wobble: at the state level, county level, schools,
municipalities, and in the community. Maine has often been in the hands of steady
people and good faith. We can still be that state, but only if we protect the integrity of
the process that gives every Mainer a voice.
Our motto is Dirigo, “I Lead.” It’s time for Maine to lead again by restoring confidence in
our elections through transparency, accountability, and fairness. Let’s prove that trust
and truth still belong together. And that your voice, your vote, and your freedom are all
worth protecting.
I will be voting Yes on Question 1 on the upcoming election on November 4 th . Voter ID
is not the whole solution to create confidence in our electoral system, but it is a great
first step.
Robert Wessels is a husband, father, homeschooling dad, businessman and
Gubernatorial Candidate from Paris, Maine.
