Though Gov. Paul LePage indicated in letters to lawmakers this week that he has “strong concerns regarding the integrity of Maine’s ballot and accuracy of Maine’s election results,” he hadn’t mentioned any of the concerns to officials who count the ballots.

Secretary of State Matt Dunlap said Thursday he hasn’t heard from the governor about any specific concerns.

“We haven’t had any complaints from out in the world,” Dunlap said.

State Rep. Justin Chenette, D-Saco, was among those who called on LePage “to provide evidence of his election integrity and accuracy issues.”

In a tweet, he said the governor’s “baseless rhetoric hurts democracy.”

Dunlap said he had no idea what problems the governor may have with the Nov. 8 election’s integrity other than he may not have liked some of the results.

He said he’s concerned that LePage is undermining public faith in carefully crafted election laws that both parties have stood behind for years.

Telling people the outcomes are tilted, Dunlap said, only serves to make them less likely to cast ballots.

“You really can count on the outcomes of an election,” he said.

Dunlap called it “un-American” to try to engineer the results by imposing unnecessary restrictions on voting and questioning the integrity of the process without any evidence.

LePage expressed his concerns about the election’s integrity in routine letters notifying legislators about the beginning of the new session next week.

The governor hasn’t offered any evidence to back up his assertions about voting integrity.

Copy the Story Link