Maine has the sordid distinction as the last place in the country that allows a trifecta of cruel methods of killing bears. We let people — the majority of whom are from out of state — hound, bait and trap bears.

Hounding is the cruel practice of training packs of dogs to harass bears for miles until, in sheer exhaustion, the bear takes refuge in a tree. Then the bears are usually blasted off the branch by a shooter, who did little more than follow the high-tech GPS collars worn by the hounds to his trophy.

Baiting and trapping are equally awful — bears are shot while feasting on rotting doughnuts and pizza; or they die after suffering in the painful grips of a snare trap for hours on end. There is no reason bears should succumb to such inhumane and unsporting methods.

This year, a coalition of groups, including The Humane Society of the United States, backed “The Bear Protection Act,” legislation that would prohibit these cruel methods that Maine has been harboring for far too long.

At the bill’s public hearing, the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee took the unusual step of immediately voting on the bill, just minutes after hearing testimony. Typically, at least a week goes by before a committee votes on a bill, so they have time to properly consider the issue.

Their failure to give the bill any serious consideration was a blatant subversion of the democratic process. While the bill not moving forward was disappointing, it perfectly illustrates why this issue is ripe for the ballot. Since the Legislature failed to act, those of us who want to see Maine’s bears protected from cruelty have no choice but to let voters decide at the ballot.

But certain groups in Augusta, such as the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, are afraid of what might happen if voters are given the chance to weigh in. They’ve dreamed up a heavy-handed power grab designed to silence the voters — LD 1303, a constitutional amendment to prohibit all ballot measures on matters related to hunting and fishing.

Bear cruelty apologists and their political allies are pushing an unprecedented power grab that would amend the constitution to take away Mainers’ voting rights. Yes, that’s right — they are so afraid of what the voters might have to say about the cruelty of bear baiting, hounding and trapping that they have introduced voter suppression legislation.

Mainers have had the constitutional right to vote on ballot measures for more than 100 years. We need to stand up to the politicians who want to take our voting rights away. I urge all legislators to protect the public’s voting rights by opposing LD 1303 — Maine’s wildlife and democracy depend on it.

Katie Hansberry of Portland is Maine state director of The Humane Society of the United States.