AUGUSTA — Maine is about to embark on a voting system never before used in a major statewide election anywhere in the United States. With the announcement Monday from the secretary of state’s office that supporters of ranked-choice voting submitted enough valid signatures, the June 12 primaries in Maine are suddenly more than just a […]
elections
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Matt Dunlap scoffs at voter fraud, vows to make ranked choice voting work if needed
LEWISTON — After playing a big role in the demise of a national voter-fraud commission that he feared could limit access to the polls, Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap was hailed by some as a hero. But he is not buying it. “I’m no Rosa Parks,” Dunlap told a crowd Wednesday at the Muskie […]
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Posted inBethel, Oxford Hills
Nomination papers for SAD 44 available
BETHEL — Nomination papers for School Administrative District 44 at-large candidates are available at the central office or any town office in the district. Vacancies are: two seats in Bethel; two seats in Greenwood; one seat in Newry; and one seat in Woodstock. All at-large terms are for three years. All nomination papers must be […]
Posted inFranklin
Farmers' Union stockholders approve historic trade allowance
FARMINGTON — At the annual meeting Tuesday afternoon, stockholders of the Farmington Farmers’ Union elected officers and approved a 13 percent trade allowance for 2017. Elected to three-year terms on the board of directors: Incumbents Russell Black of Wilton, Charles Ferrand of Norridgewock and Craig Jordan of Farmington. They were unopposed. Jordan was also elected […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Better government requires better people
If we don’t like what is happening in Washington — and few do — the blame must be placed squarely where it belongs. It is “we the people” who send those people here. We send people of different and often opposing viewpoints to Washington and expect them to get along. Many quickly turn opportunities to […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Susan Collins says Russian election meddling still going on
AUBURN — When Russia attacked America’s election in 2016, it didn’t change any votes directly but it “absolutely” achieved its chief aim, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said Friday. The Maine Republican said Russia’s goal was to sow discord among voters in the United States, she said, and it proved so successful that the country remains […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Trump administration to destroy voter data
In an apparent effort to avoid turning documents over to Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, the Trump administration has told a federal judge it will destroy the voter registration data that some states forwarded to the president’s voter fraud commission. The White House director for information technology, Charles C. Herndon, revealed the administration’s new […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
LePage plans push for voter ID again
AUGUSTA — Though there is no evidence of voter fraud in Maine, Gov. Paul LePage said Friday that he plans to ask the Legislature to require voters to show an identification card “as a simple way to safeguard the most sacred right we have in our democracy.” “We must discourage voter fraud, and we must […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Matt Dunlap disappointed Trump pulled plug on 'voter fraud' commission
AUGUSTA — For Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, participation in a federal voter-fraud commission proved “a strange, surreal and remarkable journey.” With President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the plug on his Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, Dunlap’s formal role is over. But, he warned, the issue is not going away. Dunlap said […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Move to restrict signature gathering at polls assailed at hearing
AUGUSTA — At polling places across Maine, those gathering signatures for ballot initiatives have often set up a table on the way out to offer voters the opportunity to put their names on required petitions. For supporters, it’s a sign of a thriving democracy. For some, though, it’s a growing hassle. “We’ve come to hate […]