On Wednesday, January 3, the Maine legislative committees that hear election law bills will take testimony on LD 1726. It makes it more difficult for petitioners to gather signatures at the polls on election day, by requiring them to stand at least 50 feet away from the entrance. See this story.
Gerrymander oligarchs hate Democracy — via issue petitions.
PR and AppV
How do you distinguish between petitioning and electioneering?
Petitioning is on behalf of placing a measure or candidate on the ballot for a future election. Electioneering is on behalf of a candidate or measure being voted on that day in that election. They should never be confused with each other, and distance from the polls rules should never apply to petitions. Maine should keep its current law allowing petitioning inside polling places rather than outside in the ice, wind, sleet, snow or whatever weather election day brings, and every other state should have that law as well.
And before Jim Riley starts in with his usual line of attack, I’m retired from the petition business and have no economic interest in any of this anymore, nor do I have any interest in travelling to work on initiatives even as a volunteer.
@Paulie,
There is currently a recall effort against a California senator because he voted for higher gasoline taxes. There is also an initiative to repeal that tax. If you were circulating a petition at any time other than an election, near a polling place, you could have a sign that said “Sign the petition to repeal Josh Newman’s gas tax” and another “Vote for Joe Smith to replace Josh Newman”, or you could verbally express the same sentiments. Both protected by the 1st Amendment, right?
Now you agree that “Vote for Joe Smith to replace Josh Newman” should not be permitted inside the polling place, but why should “Sign the petition to repeal Josh Newman’s gas tax” be allowed?
Under Maine statute, the area outside the guardrail is for observing the election. If you were circulating a petition, would you have your back to the polling area? And wouldn’t you be impeding the progress of a voter, if you asked the voter to sign your petition?
The bill which is more of an omnibus bill, reduces the current 250 foot electioneering limit to 50 feet, and makes it content-neutral.
Plenty of people circulate petitions in Maine polling buildings all the time and don’t impede voters, and there are few if any times when the pitch on the petition has anything to do with anyone on the ballot that day. I’d be OK with restricting any pitch that touches on that day’s election within the poll building.
THE SCOTUS HACKS UPHELD A DISTANCE LIMIT — ??? 100 FEET
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/13pdf/12-1168_6k47.pdf
35 FEET LIMIT UNCONSTITUTIONAL – ABORTION STUFF — 2014
@Paulie,
That places the burden on the warden to make a judgment as to whether those soliciting petition signatures are electioneering or not. Remember not all petition solicitors are as professional as you were. A simple 50-foot limit for all non-election activity secures the sanctity of the polling place, and lets hot dog vendors, petition floggers, and party hacks compete in a circus-like atmosphere outside.
Have you ever tried working outdoors in Maine in November, especially trying to get people to stop longer than they have to on their way from car to building and back?
@Paulie,
If the Maine legislature were truly concerned about weather conditions for VOTERS, they would move the election back to September.
Mainiacs will sit through hours of their beloved town meetings listening to all sorts of arcane proposals. Why they cannot be bothered by a few pesky petitioners on election day is beyond me.
THE 100 FEET CASE ABOVE
Burson v. Freeman, 504 U.S. 191 (1992).
4-4
SORRY — NO DISTANCE LIMIT IN THE 1ST AMDT.
@DR,
One is not peaceably assembling if one is causing tumult at the voting location.
If petition solicitors are permitted within the polling place, then electioneers and hot dog vendors should also be permitted within the polling place.
A common sense 50-foot limit for all makes sense and is easy to enforce.
Paulie wants privileges for his type of speech, but not that of others.
Petition gatherers do not speak to voters until after they’ve voted. I’ve done this a number of times, including this past November. It’s a bald face attempt to limit direct democracy.
OUTSIDE space vs INSIDE space —
much too difficult for the SCOTUS hack MORONS.
@MV,
Why don’t petition solicitors speak to voters until after they have voted?
All paper mail secret ballots.
Oregon, etc. survive.
———-
ALL issue petition forms —
I want issue 123 on the general election ballots.
Sig, name, address, date
NO circulators needed.
@ JR,
Well for one thing, because other people are competing for their attention on the way in. Also, somebody who just voted is obviously registered in that precinct.