Maine panel advises against voter ID laws
Source: Portland Press Herald
AUGUSTA — Though there’s no proposal on the table to pass such a law, a state commission has recommended Maine reject any proposal to require voters to show identification at the polls.
By a 4-1 vote, the Commission to Study the Conduct of Elections in Maine dissented against voter ID, citing “little or no history in Maine of voter impersonation or identification fraud.” It also said such a law would slow down the voting process and could work to disenfranchise elderly, poor or rural voters, many of whom don’t have IDs or may not be able to travel far to get them.
The report was leaked to the Huffington Post, which published it Tuesday, catching state officials off-guard. Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap is scheduled to present its findings to the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
“We don’t know how it got out there,” said Melissa Couture, a Dunlap spokeswoman who said the Democratic secretary of state – who expressed opposition to voter ID in a speech after his January swearing-in – wouldn’t have a comment on the report until his presentation.
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