logo

Bill That Enfranchises Over 350,000 Independent Voters In Maine Becomes Law

image
Created: 10 May, 2022
Updated: 14 Aug, 2022
2 min read

A third of Maine’s electorate will have an opportunity for meaningful participation in taxpayer-funded elections. Governor Janet Mills allowed a bill to go into law Monday that creates a semi-open primary system that gives independent voters a say in the state's primaries.

“When we encourage and allow more voters to participate in our elections, we all benefit,” said state Senator Chloe Maxmin (D-Lincoln), who sponsored the legislation. “Voters have been asking for semi-open primaries for years, and I’m thrilled that we have been able to make it happen.”

The bill, LD 231, will enfranchise over 350,000 registered unaffiliated voters, who previously were forced to make a choice in public elections: Join a private political organization or don’t vote. Under a semi-open primary, Republicans and Democrats have their own primary ballot. All candidates running appear on their respective party’s ballot. Voters not registered with a party can choose between the Republican and Democratic ballots, but must stick with the candidates of that party.

Many primary reform advocates favor a nonpartisan primary in which all voters and candidates participate on a single primary ballot. Systems like this exist in California, Washington, and Alaska. However, LD 231 is seen as a step in the right direction toward fairer elections.

“Up until now, unenrolled voters have been paying for elections in which they haven’t been able to participate,” said Assistant Senate Minority Leader Matt Pouliot (R-Kennebec), co-sponsor of the bill. “Fortunately, this outdated policy has been remedied with the passage of L.D. 231.”

The Maine Legislature advanced the bill last week after a budget panel agreed to fund it. The bill originally passed in June 2021 with significant bipartisan support. Several Republicans joined with the Democratic majority to pass the bill in the state Senate in a 27-7 vote, and in a 92-52 vote in the House.

Governor Janet Mills had three options: She could sign the legislation into law, veto it, or take no action and the law would automatically become law. She chose to do the latter.

“We are grateful that L.D. 231 has become law, enfranchising hundreds of thousands of independent voters.” said Kaitlin LaCasse from Open Primaries Maine, a nonpartisan group that has long advocated for primary election reform in the state. 

Open Primaries Maine laid the groundwork on this issue with the national primary reform group Open Primaries back in 2019. Open Primaries recently released a report called “What it Took to Bring Open Primaries to Maine,” which according to the organization offers a path forward for others looking to reform American democracy. 

More Choice for San Diego

“The significant bipartisan support for semi-open primaries here in Maine is particularly notable during this time in which many states are considering the rollback of voter rights. It is a good day for democracy,” said LaCasse. 

Latest articles

Judge sitting at a desk with their fingers interlocked. A scale and gavel appear on the desk.
Most Evanston Voters Said They Wanted Ranked Choice Voting, But Will They Get It?
In 2022, nearly 83% of voters in Evanston, Illinois, approved a city referendum to adopt ranked choice voting. The referendum stated that the first use of the new voting method would be during the city's consolidated elections in April 2025....
11 Dec, 2024
-
4 min read
silhouette of a hand putting a ballot in a box.
As Expected, Alaska Measure 2 Recount Didn't Change Anything
The recount in Alaska over Ballot Measure 2 is complete. The state's Republican Party requested it after voters rejected the initiative and chose to keep their nonpartisan election system by a narrow margin. But as predicted on IVN, this margin wasn't narrow enough for the results to change....
10 Dec, 2024
-
1 min read
businessman holding his hands to his face.
New Poll: Half of US Voters Say They Voted For 'Lesser of Two Evils' in 2024
Citizen Data polled US voters following the 2024 elections and found that nearly half (47%) said they cast their ballot, not for the candidate they supported the most, but for the candidate they determined was the 'lesser of two evils.'...
09 Dec, 2024
-
2 min read