NORWAY — Close to 20 supporters of same-day voter registration held a downtown rally Friday morning, calling for a “Yes” vote on Question 1 on the Nov. 8 statewide ballot.
“I’m just outraged,” said Don Mayberry of Norway, pastor of the First Congregational Church of Paris. “Eliminating same-day registration is not a Maine idea. This is not a Democratic idea. This is not a Republican idea. The more people who vote in Maine the better for Maine. The more people who vote in the nation, the better for the nation.”
Mayberry’s “outrage” along with others in the Protect Maine Votes/Vote Yes on 1 group stemmed from the new law that takes away Election Day voter registration rights, something the group says is taking away people’s right to vote.
Protect Maine Votes, a coalition of 23 organizations, including the Maine People’s Alliance, Maine League of Young Voters, Maine Women’s Lobby, Maine AFL-CIO and many more, collected more than 70,000 signatures in less than a month to place a people’s veto on the November ballot.
A “Yes” vote on Question 1 on the Nov. 8 election ballot will restore the same-day registration, which has been in place in Maine for almost 40 years. The Protect Maine Votes organization said Election Day registration has worked since 1973 efficiently and with few problems.
With one of the highest voter participation rates in the country and only two prosecuted cases of election fraud, the group said the recent law discriminates against young college students and people with several jobs who are unable to register to vote during many city and town hall hours.
The Maine Town and City Clerks Association testified against the elimination of same-day registration as did the majority of the people who participated in the public hearing.
Rockie Graham, a notary from Waterford who has helped register voters, said it is simply hard for people who often work more than one job to get to town and city offices during their open hours.
“It’s hard to get there except on Election Day,” she said.
Some said there are few problems registering on Election Day.
“I’ve been working at the polls at Woodstock for 20 years. It’s so smooth. There are no problems,” Nancy Willard said.
“If it’s not broken don’t fix it,” Marge Medd of Norway said.
ldixon@sunjournal.com
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- The Rev. Richard Beal of the First Universalist Church in Norway was one of about 20 people who spoke Friday morning at a rally in downtown Norway to support restoring Election Day voters registration. He called the elimination of same-day voter registration “an attack on democracy.” The issue is Question 1 on the Nov. 8 statewide referendum ballot.
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