Maine Governor Paul LePage signed LD 1376 on June 21. This is the bill to repeal same-day voter registration. However, according to this story, groups who support same-day voter registration probably have the resources to circulate a petition, requesting a referendum vote on the issue. If the petition succeeds, the bill will not go into effect until a popular vote is held, either in June 2012 or November 2012.
Same-day voter registration is useful because it prevents the need for provisional ballots.
Vote it down Maine!
I say keep election day voter registration. It helps minor party and independent candidates. Also, there is no reason in this day of computers why people can’t register to vote at the polls.
How many FELONY FRAUD same day registrations ???
Why do the usual suspects want certain types of laws ???
Andy, In this day and age of computers? How many of our elderly Mainers do you know that surf the web? Or , for that matter, own a computer? Let’s talk about the poverty stricken citizens of Maine that can’t AFFORD a computer. That’s an incredible and embarrassing number of people, we should be ashamed of our state for this alone(but that’s another subject) Oh but they should take the time to go to their local library and register right? During their 15 minute break from their job at Walmart…you’re ridiculous. This is just another republican propaganda to try to keep honest people from the polls to vote for the right candidate…which would NOT be a Republican……
Donna? I think Andy is on your side? You may want to reread?
Whoops….I’ve been reading blogs all morning….. everything from Ford moving from Tenn to Mexico and leaving 275 jobless in America to the Boehner lawsuit of the Antideficiancy Act and spending $500,000(didn’t he say we had to stop spending?) to defend DOMA which recently has been LEGALLY deemed unconstitutional….my blood pressure is definitely up and my brain is evidently on overload and not working… yes I’ve made a mistake….Sorry Andy
Jesse Ventura, Reform nominee, would never have been elected governor of Minnesota without same-day registration. It is unimaginable why anyone who believes that we need an alternative to the duopoly would oppose same-day registration.
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Are you asserting that there’s some correlation between supporting third parties and forgetting or not bothering to register in advance? Is third party support typically so shallow and ill-thought that voting for a third party candidate is like an “impulse buy” of a bag of potato chips?
We better turn this down, and in the meantime, we need to get everyone voting. We need every voice heard. People check out sites like http://www.registertovote.org to register and make sure you register early! Or you’ll regret it! Because there is still no excuse for not voting, and if you dont vote, dont complain about what the government is doing.
Tony S: As for Jesse Ventura’s election specifically, it is what it is. Exit polls and other studies have confirmed without question that the vast majority of those who registered on voting day voted for Ventura and that they were more than his narrow margin of victory.
Beyond that, this illustrates that there is a vast potential pool of voters, most calling themselves independents, and many of whom, for reasons of either alienation or disinterest, do not normally vote or even register (or maintain their registration), but who may be reachable or motivated by new voices and novel ideas during a campaign. Who better to do that, provided sufficient funding and freed from discrimination on the debate stage and elsewhere, than an appealing third-party or independent candidate? But in jurisdications where voters have to register weeks in advance, that mobilization too often comes too late.
Better yet: get rid of voter registration altogether, so everyone who is eligible is automatically registered, as in North Dakota.
Maine does have two rare, yet excellent features in its voting:
1) It allows people to vote while they are incarcerated in prison
2) Petitions can be circulated inside the building at poll places on election day
More states should adopt these ideas from ND and Maine.
“How many FELONY FRAUD same day registrations ???”
Actually, in Maine it is legal for felons to vote. In fact, Maine along with Vermont are the only two states that I’m aware of where people can vote from prison.
“Are you asserting that there’s some correlation between supporting third parties and forgetting or not bothering to register in advance?”
A lot of people who support minor party or independent candidates are people who feel disenfranshised by the Democrats and Republicans. Many of these people have given up on voting because they see no point in voting for Democrats and Republicans. So a lot of these people are not even registered to vote. If they find out about a minor party or independent candidte and it is close to the election time they may become inspired to vote, but by this time it could be too late to register to vote in a lot of states. This is why election day voter registration is good for minor party and independent candidates.
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Among the reasons why election day registration *may* be a good idea, I would place “Oh, I didn’t know there was a can of soup on the ballot” pretty close to the bottom of the list.