2011 Maine Question 1

Last updated
Question 1: People's Veto
Do you want to reject the section of Chapter 399 of the Public Laws of 2011 that requires new voters to register to vote at least two business days prior to an election?
Results
Choice
Votes %
Check-71-128-204-brightblue.svgYes237,02460.44%
Light brown x.svgNo155,15639.56%
Valid votes392,18099.08%
Invalid or blank votes3,6270.92%
Total votes395,807100.00%

2011 Maine Question 1 results.svg
Source: Office of the Secretary of State of Maine, Tabulation of Votes

Maine Question 1, "Do you want to reject the section of Chapter 399 of the Public Laws of 2011 that requires new voters to register to vote at least two business days prior to an election?", was a 2011 people's veto referendum that rejected a bill repealing Election Day voter registration in Maine. The vote was held on November 8, 2011 after being placed on the ballot due to supporters collecting the necessary number of signatures. The veto effort was successful, with 237,024 votes in favor of repeal to 155,156 against repeal.

Contents

Background

Maine has permitted same-day voter registration since 1973. [1] Upon taking control of both houses of the Maine Legislature and the Governor's office simultaneously for the first time since 1963 in 2010, the Republicans passed LD 1376, which was signed by Gov. Paul LePage on June 21, 2011. The bill, sponsored by Speaker Robert Nutting, eliminated same-day voter registration along with prohibiting registration and absentee voting two business days before an election. [2] [3] Maine Secretary of State Charlie Summers, in announcing his support for the bill, stated that "This is designed to relieve stresses on the system. People can try to assign falsehoods and nefarious reasons behind it, but that’s not what this is about." [4] Summers also wrote an editorial in which he stated that the bill was a proactive step to secure the integrity of elections, and not a step to prevent voter fraud. He also rejected the idea by opponents of the bill that same-day registration led to increased voter turnout, noting both that such turnout was high before same-day registration and increased with the passage of moter-voter legislation in 1990. [5]

The Maine chapter of AARP testified in opposition to the bill, claiming that it would make it harder for some senior citizens to vote, who would then have to go to their town or city office twice to register and vote instead of once. [4]

Maine Republican Party Chairman Charlie Webster generated controversy when claiming during the runup to LD 1376's passage that Democrats used same-day registration to "intentionally steal elections" and that they had "bused voters" into Maine to vote due to the allowing of same-day registration. [6] He later toned down his comments to state that he thought Democrats used same-day registration to "influence" elections, especially through college students and Job Corps members voting. Democrats heavily criticized his comments, claiming it reflected a true agenda of wanting to make electoral gains at democracy's expense. [7]

After passage of the bill, supporters of same-day registration launched a petition drive on July 8, 2011 to put the issue on the ballot though the group Protect Maine Votes. The question approved for circulation on the petition forms was "Do you want to reject the section of Chapter 399 of the Public Laws of 2011 that requires new voters to register to vote at least two business days prior to an election?" They did not seek to repeal the portion of the law regarding absentee voting. [8] [9] Some city clerks like the one in Bangor stated that they favored that portion of the law but had little issue with same-day registration. [4]

During the petition drive, supporters were critical of Webster and Secretary Summers for holding press conferences discussing voter fraud, claiming they were doing so to "play politics" and distract from the petition gathering effort. [8] [10]

Supporters turned in over 68,000 signatures to Secretary Summers by the deadline of August 8, 2011, well over the required number of 57,277. [10] Summers announced 30 days later that enough signatures were verified to place the question on the ballot. As the only people's veto question to reach the ballot, it was automatically numbered Question 1 per Maine law. [11]

Campaign

Nutting and other opponents of repeal stated that their primary intent in passing the original bill was to reduce the workload on municipal clerks, who saw increased absentee and same-day voting, in order to better prevent voter fraud, [12] which they claimed was difficult to do with the constraints of same-day registration. [13] Nutting further noted that Mainers would have still had 247 days a year to register to vote, other states have periods of up to 30 days they can't register before an election, and that thinking Mainers would not adjust to such a requirement was an insult to them. [14] Some opponents of repeal also claimed same-day registration led to "lazy and uninformed people" voting. [15] Opponents organized under the name Secure Maine's Ballot. [16]

Supporters of repeal, led by Protect Maine Votes, stated claims by opponents of repeal about overworked municipal clerks were unsubstantiated, and that there was no evidence of a problem with voter fraud in Maine. They claimed that having same-day voter registration since 1973 is one reason for Maine's traditionally high rate of voter turnout, releasing studies to support their position, such as one that stated that the top five states in voter turnout all permitted same-day registration. They further claimed that the effort to pass the bill was an attempt to limit constituencies that traditionally vote Democratic from voting, such as college students. [17]

Protect Maine Votes further noted that many Republican officials now opposed to same-day registration had made use of it in the past, including Governor LePage, two state senators, and eight state representatives. Protect Maine Votes spokesman David Farmer, in announcing that finding, noted that "The day and time you register is not an indicator of your interest in the election." [18] They also noted that in 2010 roughly the same number of same-day registrants were Republicans as Democrats. [16]

It was noted by outlets like the Bangor Daily News that, since the active People's Veto effort suspended the bill repealing it, Mainers could still register on Election Day to vote on the measure. [16]

Notable endorsements

Supporters

Opponents

Polling

Date of opinion pollConducted by Sample size YesNoUndecidedMargin of Error
October 28-31, 2011 [25] Public Policy Polling67348%44%7%±3.8%
October 18-23, 2011 [25] Critical Insights60051%43%6%±4%
September 7, 2011 [26] Pulse Opinion Research50053%47%-±4.5%

Results

Breakdown of voting by county [27]
CountyYesVotesNoVotes
Androscoggin 54.6%17,61444.1%14,229
Aroostook 56.8%9,43642.6%7,076
Cumberland 63.1%57,76935.6%32,582
Franklin 60.1%5,33339%3,636
Hancock 62.2%10,46837.1%6,250
Kennebec 60.1%21,45239%13,914
Knox 65.8%8,67333.1%4,362
Lincoln 59.5%7,41040.2%4,999
Oxford 57.9%10,12041.3%7,216
Penobscot 59.8%24,58639.4%16,187
Piscataquis 54.6%2,53045%2,084
Sagadahoc 60.1%7,73239.5%5,078
Somerset 57%7,39642.1%5,459
Waldo 62.5%6,97237.1%4,140
Washington 55%5,46644.2%4,387
York 58.6%33,90440.5%23,442
Total [28] 59.9%237,02739.2%155,156

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voter registration in the United States</span> Requirement for most elections in the United States of America

Voter registration in the United States is required for voting in federal, state and local elections. The only exception is North Dakota, although cities in North Dakota may register voters for city elections. Voter registration takes place at the county level in many states and at the municipal level in several states. Most states set cutoff dates for voter registration and to update details, ranging from 2 to 4 weeks before an election; while a third of states have Election Day or "same-day" voter registration which enables eligible citizens to register or update their registration when they vote before or on election day.

In response to court action in a number of states, the United States federal government and a number of state legislatures passed or attempted to pass legislation either prohibiting or allowing same-sex marriage or other types of same-sex unions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranked-choice voting in the United States</span> Electoral system used in some cities and states

Ranked-choice voting (RCV) can refer to one of several ranked voting methods used in some cities and states in the United States. The term is not strictly defined, but most often refers to instant-runoff voting (IRV) or single transferable vote (STV).

Same-sex marriage has been legally recognized in Maine since December 29, 2012. A bill for the legalization of same-sex marriages was approved by voters, 53–47 percent, on November 6, 2012, as Maine, Maryland and Washington became the first U.S. states to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote. Election results were certified by the Maine Secretary of State's office and the Governor of Maine, Paul LePage, on November 29. Maine was the eighth U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul LePage</span> Governor of Maine from 2011 to 2019

Paul Richard LePage is American businessman and politician who served as the 74th governor of Maine from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the mayor of Waterville, Maine, from 2004 to 2011 and as a city councilor for Waterville from 1998 to 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Maine Question 1</span> Referendum on same-sex marriage

Maine Question 1 was a voter referendum conducted in Maine in the United States in 2009 that rejected a law legalizing same-sex marriage in the state. The measure passed 53–47% on November 3, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Poliquin</span> American politician (born 1953)

Bruce Lee Poliquin is an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Maine's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. Poliquin was first elected to Congress in the 2014 general election. From 2010 to 2012, he was the 49th Maine State Treasurer. He was a candidate for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2012, finishing second in the primary election. In January 2017, at the start of the 115th Congress, Poliquin was the sole Republican representing a U.S. House district in New England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Maine Question 1</span> Referendum on same-sex marriage

Maine Question 1 was a voter referendum on an initiated state statute that occurred on November 6, 2012. The referendum was held to determine whether or not to legalize same-sex marriage. The referendum passed with a 53-47% vote legalizing same-sex marriage in Maine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voter identification laws in the United States</span>

Voter ID laws in the United States are laws that require a person to provide some form of official identification before they are permitted to register to vote, receive a ballot for an election, or to actually vote in elections in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Maine Question 1</span>

Maine Question 1, "An Act To Strengthen the Maine Clean Election Act, Improve Disclosure and Make Other Changes to the Campaign Finance Laws", was a citizen-initiated referendum measure in Maine, which appeared on the November 3, 2015 statewide ballot. As the Maine Legislature did not exercise its ability to pass the bill on its own, it was placed on the ballot and approved by Maine voters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">June 2018 Maine Question 1</span>

Maine Question 1 was a people's veto referendum that appeared on the June 12, 2018 statewide ballot. It sought to reject a law passed by the Maine Legislature that suspended the implementation of ranked-choice voting, authorized by Maine voters in a previous referendum, for use in Maine elections until and if an amendment to the Maine Constitution is passed to expressly permit it; failing that, the law would be automatically repealed in 2021. It qualified because supporters of the original referendum collected the necessary number of signatures from registered Maine voters. This vote coincided with primary elections in which party nominees for governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and the Maine Legislature were chosen through RCV to run in general elections on November 6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Maine Question 5</span> Referendum on instant-runoff voting

Maine Question 5, formally An Act to Establish Ranked-Choice Voting, is a citizen-initiated referendum question that qualified for the Maine November 8, 2016 statewide ballot. It was approved by a vote of 52% in favor, 48% opposed. It sought to change how most Maine elections will be conducted from plurality voting to instant-runoff voting. It appeared on the ballot along with elections for President of the United States, Maine's two U.S. House seats, the legislature, five other ballot questions, and various local elections. The referendum was successful, making Maine the first state to use ranked choice voting for its federal elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Maine Question 4</span>

Maine Question 4, formally An Act to Raise the Minimum Wage, is a citizen-initiated referendum question that appeared on the Maine November 8, 2016 statewide ballot. It sought to increase Maine's minimum wage from $7.50 per hour to $12 an hour by 2020, as well as increasing the minimum wage for tipped employees gradually to the same level by 2024. It would also index increases after 2024 to inflation. As the Maine Legislature and Governor Paul LePage declined to enact the proposal as written, it appeared on the ballot along with elections for President of the United States, Maine's two U.S. House seats, the Legislature, other statewide ballot questions, and various local elections. Efforts to place a competing, more moderate proposal alongside the citizen-initiated bill were unsuccessful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Maine Question 3</span> Citizen-initiated referendum on gun background checks

Maine Question 3, formally An Act to Require Background Checks for Gun Sales, was a citizen-initiated referendum question that appeared on the Maine November 8, 2016 statewide ballot. It sought to require a background check for virtually all gun transfers in Maine, with some exceptions. As the Maine Legislature and Governor Paul LePage declined to enact the proposal as written, it appeared on the ballot along with elections for President of the United States, Maine's two United States House seats, the Maine Legislature, other statewide ballot questions, and various local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Maine Question 2</span>

Maine Question 2, formally An Act to Establish The Fund to Advance Public Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education, was a citizen-initiated referendum question that appeared on the Maine November 8, 2016 statewide ballot. It sought to increase state aid to public schools by instituting a surcharge of 3% on Maine income taxes for those with income above $200,000 a year. As the Maine Legislature declined to enact the proposal as written, it appeared on the ballot along with elections for President of the United States, Maine's two U.S. House seats, the Legislature, and various local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Maine Question 1</span> Citizen-initiated referendum to legalize marijuana

Maine Question 1, formally An Act to Legalize Marijuana, is a citizen-initiated referendum question that qualified for the Maine November 8, 2016 statewide ballot. It was qualified for the ballot after a Maine Superior Court judge ordered that petitions rejected by the Maine Secretary of State be reconsidered. The proposal sought to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in Maine for those over the age of 21, and institute a 10 percent tax on its sale. As the Maine Legislature and Governor Paul LePage declined to enact the proposal as written, it appeared on the ballot along with elections for President of the United States, Maine's two U.S. House seats, the Legislature, other statewide ballot questions, and various local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Maine Question 2</span>

Maine Question 2, formally entitled "An Act To Enhance Access to Affordable Health Care", was a citizen-initiated ballot measure that appeared on the November 7, 2017 statewide ballot in the State of Maine. Maine Question 2 sought to expand Medicaid eligibility under the terms of the Affordable Care Act. The measure passed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Maine Question 1</span> Referendum on allowing casinos in York County

Maine Question 1, formally An Act To Allow Slot Machines or a Casino in York County, was a citizen-initiated referendum question that appeared on the November 7, 2017, statewide ballot in Maine. It sought to award a license for the construction and operation of a casino in York County, Maine by a qualified entity as spelled out in the proposed law, with tax revenue generated by the casino to go to specific programs. The wording of the proposed law effectively permitted only one company, Capital 7, to be awarded the license. The ballot measure was defeated, with 83% of voters opposing it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Maine Question 1</span> Referendum on religious and philosophical vaccination exemptions

2020 Maine Question 1 was a people's veto referendum that sought to reject a new law which eliminated religious and philosophical exemptions from school vaccination requirements and for employees of nursery schools and health care facilities. The question appeared on the statewide ballot on March 3, 2020, coinciding with the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries for the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republican efforts to restrict voting following the 2020 presidential election</span> Ongoing effort by the U.S. Republican Party

Following the 2020 United States presidential election and the unsuccessful attempts by Donald Trump and various other Republican officials to overturn it, Republican lawmakers initiated a sweeping effort to make voting laws more restrictive within several states across the country. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, as of October 4, 2021, more than 425 bills that would restrict voting access have been introduced in 49 states—with 33 of these bills enacted across 19 states so far. The bills are largely centered around limiting mail-in voting, strengthening voter ID laws, shortening early voting, eliminating automatic and same-day voter registration, curbing the use of ballot drop boxes, and allowing for increased purging of voter rolls. Republicans in at least eight states have also introduced bills that would give lawmakers greater power over election administration after they were unsuccessful in their attempts to overturn election results in swing states won by Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the 2020 election. The efforts garnered press attention and public outrage from Democrats, and by 2023 Republicans had adopted a more "under the radar" approach to achieve their goals.

References

  1. 1 2 "Maine towns back Yes on 1, same-day voter signup — Politics". Bangor Daily News . 2011-10-11. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  2. 1 2 "Maine groups want to revive same-day voter registration". The Boston Globe . 2011-06-24. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  3. 1 2 "Summary". Mainelegislature.org. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Mistler, Steve (2011-06-01). "Maine Secretary of State supports bill eliminating same-day voter registration — Politics". Bangor Daily News . Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  5. Summers, Charles E. (2011-06-02). "Ending same-day registration protects 'integrity of Maine's elections' — Opinion". Bangor Daily News . Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  6. "Bill Nemitz: Ballot-box fraud? GOP fixes problem that isn't there". The Portland Press Herald . 2011-06-10. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  7. "GOP chairman's charge that Democrats 'steal' election causes stir — Politics". Bangor Daily News . 2011-06-10. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  8. 1 2 "Secretary of State finds no student voter fraud but still pledges to improve system — Politics". Bangor Daily News . 2011-09-21. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  9. "Petition drive launched to repeal law that bans Election Day voter registration — Politics". Bangor Daily News . 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  10. 1 2 "Mainers likely to have say in Election Day voter registration — Politics". Bangor Daily News . 2011-08-08. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  11. "People's veto of same-day voter registration ban will be Question 1 in November — Politics". Bangor Daily News . 2011-09-08. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  12. "LePage signs bill banning same-day voter registration, but critics vow to fight — Politics". Bangor Daily News . 2011-06-21. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  13. 1 2 3 "Senate GOP, Dems clash over same-day voter registration — Politics". Bangor Daily News . 2011-06-08. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  14. "Lawmakers, Mainers Have Mixed Response To Recent Voting Measures - Portland News Story". 2011-07-10. Archived from the original on October 30, 2011. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  15. [ dead link ]
  16. 1 2 3 "Fate of Election Day voter registration at stake with Question 1 — Politics". Bangor Daily News . 2011-10-19. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  17. "Same-day voter registration increases turnout, studies say — Politics". Bangor Daily News . 2011-10-03. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  18. [ dead link ]
  19. 1 2 "Mainers vote to continue Election Day registration — Politics". Bangor Daily News . 2011-11-08. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  20. "Yes on Question 1 — Opinion". Bangor Daily News . 2011-10-20. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  21. [ dead link ]
  22. "Our View: Question 1: Maine should keep Election Day registration". The Portland Press Herald . 2011-10-30. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  23. "Maine groups want to revive same-day voter registration". The Boston Globe . 2011-06-24. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  24. Cover, Susan M. (2011-07-07). "Wording of people's veto is set". The Portland Press Herald . Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  25. 1 2 Cover, Susan M. (2011-11-03). "Polls: Question 1 a close call". Centralmaine.com. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  26. "Poll: Majority support repealing same-day registration | The Kennebec Journal, Augusta, ME". 2011-10-31. Archived from the original on October 31, 2011. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  27. "Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions, Elections and Voting, Results, 2010-11 Tabulations". Maine.gov. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  28. Includes overseas voters