Lawsuit: Maine Elections Chief Used ‘Misleading’ Language In Voter ID Ballot Initiative
Maine’s Democrat elections chief used “misleading” language to describe a voter ID initiative that is set to appear on the state’s November ballot, a lawsuit filed on Monday alleges.
Brought by a coalition of Maine citizens, the legal challenge contends that Secretary of State Shenna Bellows crafted a “misleading, complicated, and confusing” ballot question intended to summarize provisions in the citizen-led voter ID measure to be considered by voters later this year. Bellows is known for her seemingly unlawful attempt to unilaterally remove Donald Trump from the Pine Tree State’s 2024 presidential primary ballot.
Spearheaded by the Voter ID for ME campaign, the referenced voter ID initiative garnered enough signatures earlier this year to qualify for ballot access. In addition to requiring photo identification for in-person and absentee voting, the measure also seeks to limit the number of ballot drop boxes to one per locality, mandate that voters complete a written application to receive a mail ballot, implement requirements for individuals who help a voter request an absentee ballot, and move up the deadline to request an absentee ballot before an election, as previously reported by The Federalist.
[READ: Meet The Grassroots Group Fighting To Bring Voter ID To Maine Elections]
According to the Maine Constitution, petition-led initiatives are first considered by the state legislature, which has the ability to either pass the measure into law or send it to voters for approval.
The Democrat-controlled legislature’s decision to adjourn this year’s session without approving the voter ID initiative prompted Bellows to draft summary language for the measure. The ballot question — which was finalized last week following a 30-day public comment period — reads as follows:
Do you want to change Maine election laws to eliminate two days of absentee voting, prohibit requests for absentee ballots by phone or family members, end ongoing absentee voter status for seniors and people with disabilities, ban prepaid postage on absentee ballot return envelopes, limit the number of drop boxes, require voters to show certain photo ID before voting, and make other changes to our elections?
In their Monday complaint, petitioners highlighted numerous areas of Bellows’ summary that they claim violate Maine law.
The state residents argue that the secretary’s question “misrepresents provisions that would apply to all voters as targeting ‘seniors and people with disabilities.’” They further contend that the summary “is not ‘simple, clear, concise, and direct’” and buries “the Act’s primary objective” of requiring photo ID “after a long string of clauses describing comparatively minor changes.”
“The question is deliberately confusing, employing vague terminology (‘certain photo ID; ‘make other changes’) and technical language (‘ongoing absentee voter status’) likely to be misunderstood by the average voter,” the lawsuit reads.
[RELATED: Dishonest Ballot Initiative Wording Is Another Way Democrats Rig Elections]
Plaintiffs noted past examples of Bellows voicing opposition to the initiative’s provisions and voter ID requirements in general. They cited 2021 testimony the Democrat secretary gave to the Maine Legislature, in which she baselessly claimed that proposed laws mandating electors to provide such identification when voting represent “discriminatory practices rooted in white supremacy.”
“[T]he Secretary’s personal misgivings about the Act do not empower her to misrepresent it to the public. Rather, the law requires her to put aside personal biases and draft a concise question that is ‘understandable to a reasonable voter reading the question for the first time and will not mislead a reasonable voter who understands the proposed legislation into voting contrary to that voter’s wishes,’” the complaint reads.
Plaintiffs have asked the Cumberland County Superior Court to vacate Bellows’ proposed question “as not understandable and misleading” under the Maine Constitution, and to remand the secretary to “revise the ballot question consistent” with their requested changes.
Maine Voter ID Initiative Lawsuit by The Federalist on Scribd
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
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