Maine voters defeat voter ID ballot initiative, approve ‘red flag’ gun restrictions

Maine voters defeated a voter ID ballot initiative and approved “red flag” gun restrictions in Tuesday’s off-year election.

The voter ID and absentee ballot initiative, referred to as “Question 1,” was resoundingly rejected by voters and projected to fail shortly after polls in the state closed.

“Question 1” would have required voters to present a photo ID for both in-person and absentee voting. It would also have imposed limits on the number of election drop boxes to one per municipality and required absentee voters to submit a written application before each election, according to The Associated Press.

Alex Titcomb, an advocate for the “Yes on 1” campaign, and Maine State Rep. Laurel Libby told The Portland Press Herald that Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows “used her powerful position to weaponize the ballot question.”

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“Ultimately, Maine voters did not have the opportunity to vote on Voter ID. The opposition claimed that Question 1 would get rid of absentee voting, and centered their campaign on that fiction. Instead of honestly debating the merits of Voter ID, they spread lies and fear, convincing voters to vote against their own interests,” they said.

Opponents of “Question 1” believed it would limit voting access. Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, said on his X account that the results were a “major win for all Mainers.”

“The DNC was proud to support efforts to ensure Mainers have access to the ballot box, including absentee voting,” Martin wrote.

Maine voters also resoundingly supported “Question 2,” which would enact an extreme protection order law, commonly referred to as a “red flag” law.

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It prohibits the “purchase, possession or control of a dangerous weapon” if a person is suspected of “posing a significant danger of causing physical injury to the person or to another person,” according to Maine’s election guide released by Secretary of State Bellows.

Maine already has a “yellow flag” law that requires law enforcement to first take a person into protective custody if they are believed to be a danger to themselves or others. The person must then undergo a mental health evaluation before a judge can order the temporary removal of their firearms.