Press Herald - A group campaigning to require a photo identification when voting and tighten absentee ballot access is suing the Secretary of State’s office over the wording of a statewide referendum headed for the fall ballot.
Supporters say the official wording misrepresents the proposal and “buries its core intent behind a string of technical and inflammatory clauses.”
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and other opponents of the referendum have criticized advocates for promoting the measure only as a voter ID mandate when the proposal would also make it harder to vote absentee and make other changes to elections laws that officials say would be difficult and expensive to implement.
Bellows released the final wording of the ballot question last week: “Do you want to change Maine election laws to eliminate two days of absentee voting, prohibit requests for absentee ballots by phone or family members, end ongoing absentee voter status for seniors and people with disabilities, ban prepaid postage on absentee ballot return envelopes, limit the number of drop boxes, require voters to show certain photo ID before voting, and make other changes to our elections?”