There’s no harm in giving municipal officials five extra days to certify signatures on petitions. None. Zero. Zilch.

It’s needed. There are occasions now when town offices must rush through validations for reasons beyond their origination. If a petition-gatherer dawdles until the last day to drop off their sheets, officials must respond in haste. This is neither fair to them, nor to the democratic process.

Question 7 on the ballot would give officials five extra days of breathing room to review petitions and ensure signatures are valid. It makes sense; this time should allow clerks and registrars to give each petition appropriate scrutiny, while also doing the town’s daily business.

For larger communities, like Lewiston-Auburn, this breathing room is necessary given the sheer volume of signatures that are gathered in them. (Which gets multiplied, of course, by whatever number of ballot initiatives are being circulated at any one time.)

Question 7 would also extend the time proponents of citizen initiatives have to return signatures; this way, the extension of time for towns would also be given to campaigns. That makes sense, too.

So does everything about Question 7. On Nov. 3, our endorsement is to vote yes.

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