Maine voters to decide voter ID, red flag law on Election Day

Maine voters go to the polls Tuesday to decide ballot questions requiring voter ID for elections and a red flag law allowing police to seize weapons from people deemed a threat to themselves or others.

Question 1, if approved, would require Mainers to present a valid state ID or driver’s license to vote, limit the number of "drop" boxes for ballots and restrict the state's absentee mail balloting process.

Under the proposal, Maine voters would be required to show a driver’s license, passport, military ID, or a "free nondriver identification card" to cast their ballots. Voters who cast their ballots through the mail would be required to include a photocopy of their identification sent to local election clerks for processing, according to the plan.

Backers of the plan say requiring ID to cast ballots would strengthen election integrity, protect "legitimate" ballots, and ensure confidence in Maine’s democratic process.

"Showing ID is a simple and common-sense requirement Mainers already have in our daily life, whether cashing a check, boarding a plane, or picking up a package," Alex Titcomb, of Voter ID for Maine, said in a statement in support of the measure. "Voting, our most important civic duty, should be held to that same standard of security."

Critics say the ballot question, if approved, would disenfranchise the elderly and disabled by dismantling the state’s absentee voting process and taking away control of the voting process from local election clerks.

"Every registered voter in Maine – regardless of whether they are a Republican, independent or Democrat – deserves the right to have their voice heard through the state’s safe and secure election process," Anna Kellar of the Maine chapter of the League of Women Voters, said in a statement. "Question 1 is wrong for Maine. Elections here are already safe and secure."

Maine Republicans have pushed for years to require voter ID, citing polls showing bipartisan support for the requirements. Democrats in the governor's office and as majority in the state Legislature have repeatedly rejected the proposals, saying it will disenfranchise voters and create barriers to participating in elections.

Shenna Bellows, a Democrat running for governor, has criticized the proposal as a "wolf in sheep's clothing" because it includes provisions she said will restrict voting access. She was sued over her wording of the ballot question, but the lawsuit was ultimately rejected by the courts.

At least 36 states require voters to present some form of identification before voting. Nine of those states have strict photo ID requirements, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Question 2 on the ballot is a citizen-led initiative asking voters to approve a red flag law that would authorize families and law enforcement to ask a judge to temporarily restrict a person's access to firearms. The proposal, if approved, would allow police, friends or relatives of a legal gun owner to seek an "extreme risk protection" order if they believe that person poses a risk to themselves or others.

Supporters of the plan, including the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, say that means laws aren't sufficient to prevent people with mental illness from accessing firearms. They've cited the 2023 Lewiston mass shooting where an Army reservist with a documented history of mental illness killed 18 people before turning the gun on himself.

The National Rifle Association says a red flag law would put Mainers "at risk of becoming felons for the simple act of transferring a firearm to a family member, friend, or neighbor."