On May 21, the Maine Joint Veterans & Legal Affairs Committee passed SB 231. It lets independent voters choose a primary ballot without having to join the party whose ballot they choose. Thanks to John Opdycke for this news. The sponsor is Senator Chloe Maxmin (D-Nobleboro).
Do the parties that are letting the independents in have to agree to this, or is it being mandated? Does this only apply to unaffiliated “No Party” voters, or does the Maine SOS also consider voters registered into unqualified parties to be “independent?”
The correct designation is LD 121.
It is unclear that the committee reported the bill. Online says a divided report.
The Maine legislature’s website says LD 121 has to do with background checks for health care workers.
@JB,
Maine uses the term “enrolled” to mean affiliated with a party. A voter who is not affiliated with a party is termed “unenrolled.”
Under current law, a voter may enroll in a party on primary day, though it is apparently a confusing process. If you want the Demo-Rep ballot, you will to go to another line and enroll in the Demo-Rep party and then go back to the main line.
Under current law, a voter may not unenroll or change their enrollment for 3 months.
So the bill would in effect remove that limitation, and perhaps make it a bit more efficient.
Maine has the concept of a “qualifying party” by which 10 persons declare their intent to form a new party and attempt to qualify for the next election. The 10 founders are then enrolled in the qualifying party, and other voters may also enroll. Parties qualify by getting 5000 voters to enroll.
Currently, the People’s Party and Libertarian Party are attempting to qualify by January 2, 2022.
If a party fails to qualify or is subsequently disqualified its enrollees are treated as unenrolled. Continued qualification is dependent on 10,000 enrollees.
The Libertarian Party may be litigating this purge.
There is some anecdotal evidence that voters enrolled with the Green Independent Party believe they are independents (perhaps some think they are affilliated with the American Independent or Alaskan Independence parties 😉
Oops. That should be LD 231.
I mixed it up with LD 1121 which would establish a true Open Primary.
Maine does not have separate House and Senate committees. There is also a Senate designation, but I think that may chane when the bill is before the House.
Good idea. Every state needs this.