On June 10, the Maine legislature passed LD 1376, which ends Maine’s election-day registration procedure. Maine has had election-day registration since 1973 and has been one of eight states with that policy. It is believed that Maine is the first state that ever had election-day registration to repeal it. Governor Paul LePage has already said he will sign LD 1376.
Earlier this year, the Montana legislature also repealed election-day registration, but Governor Brian Schweitzer vetoed that bill.
It is possible a referendum petition will be launched in Maine to ask the voters if they wish to keep election-day registration. The Democratic Party and its allied interest groups probably have the capability to obtain the needed signatures.
I think this is a good thing. If potential voters are not motivated enough to register (which should be made an easy process) by some date (like 30 days prior to an election) then I cannot feel sorry for them if they can’t vote. While voting is a right of citizenship it is also a privilege.
it seems Democrats are always better at the GOTV then most parties, so it’s in their best interest to keep same day registration and voting. #1 is right that people should be better prepared then waiting till the last hours. Those folks probably never intended to vote. But when you get the urgent call that the world will disappear if you don’t vote for who ever, you stand in line for hours and vote things you may know nothing about.
Many of the illegal actions that were taken by Republican criminals in Ohio in 2004 to steal that state’s electoral votes would probably not have been possible if it had been understood in advance that voter registration needed to be completed two or three months in advance of election day. Caging, for instance, is a more difficult crime to perpetrate when there are a few months to identify and stop it.
And Republicans – don’t bother complaining. You know you did it.
Are those Ohio criminals like the criminal Union thugs who do voter intimidation at poll sites? Don’t bother complaining, Paul; we’ve all seen them… and you know they did it.