I was a young man during the 1960s and 1970s, and saw the world open up to new ideas about race, politics and government.

In the early 1970s, political reform spread throughout the country, as government was made more open, more accessible and more transparent.

It was during this time that a Republican Legislature in Maine took an important step to help more voters participate in the electoral process.

In 1973, Maine enacted same-day, or Election Day, registration.

Eligible voters could come to the polls on Election Day, register and then vote. The new law broke down a significant barrier to participation for young voters, the elderly and disabled, and for people who might have a difficult time finding a ride on Election Day.

Today, I am no longer a young man watching a cultural revolution. I am retired from the state’s Public Health Laboratory where I helped to convict criminals and get drunk drivers off the roads.

And, on Election Day, I take pride in volunteering to help people participate in our government.

Every year, I see new voters come the polls. For some, it is their first chance to cast a ballot. For others, it is their first time voting in Hallowell after moving there from somewhere else.

They are eager to participate, but sometimes a little nervous. But they all come with the common goal of having their voices heard.

I am one of the six people who helped to launch a people’s veto of parts of LD 1376. That legislation would eliminate the ability of voters to register and cast their ballots on Election Day.

It’s just wrong. Plain and simple.

We should not build unnecessary barriers to voting. Everyone who is eligible should be able to cast his or her ballot.

I understand that, for most people, the matter might seem like a small change in the law. But it holds enormous consequences for thousands of people.

In the last presidential election, 50,000 Mainers registered to vote on Election Day. In last year’s gubernatorial race, another 18,000 did the same.

Imagine nearly 70,000 people arriving at the polls and being turned way. That’s more people than live in Portland, or any other city in Maine. Imagine being the poll-worker who would have to tell them: “Sorry, you cannot do that anymore.”

If the public allows this new law to take effect as written, across Maine poll workers such as myself will be forced to deliver the bad news to eligible Maine voters on Election Day: “I’m sorry, but you can’t vote.”

I can’t think of a worse thing to tell someone who comes to vote, excited about doing their civic duty.

For 38 years, Maine’s same-day voter registration law has worked, helping to increase voter participation and turnout. Maine consistently ranks at the top of states in the percentage of eligible voters who go to the polls. That’s an accomplishment we should all be proud of.

Same-day registration doesn’t create lines and it doesn’t slow down voting. That’s why the Maine Town and City Clerks’ Association opposed its elimination in LD 1376. They know, as I do, that same-day registration solves many more problems than it creates.

In all of my years, I have never seen an example of election fraud caused by same-day voter registration, probably because there have been only two cases in Maine in the past 38 years.

I know that elections matter and that every vote counts. And I also know that everyone should be encouraged to be part of the process. That’s why I’m part of the effort to veto this new law.

It is unnecessary, it doesn’t fix anything, and it will make it more difficult for people to vote.

That’s three strikes. This law should be out.

Harold Booth was one of the original voters who helped to initiate the people’s veto of portions of LD 1376. He lives in Hallowell.