Join Actions to Oppose Question 1 Referendum Restricting Absentee Voting

Andy O’Brien

11 Aug, 2025

The Maine Secretary of State’s office has announced the order of two statewide referendum questions that will be on the November ballot. The Maine AFL-CIO’s Executive Board has voted to oppose Question 1, which would make it harder for people across the state to vote – especially seniors, Mainers with a disability, and Mainers without reliable transportation.

The finalized language for Question 1 is 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?

Question 1 would restrict access to the ballot box by:

Limiting the number of secure ballot drop-off boxes a town may offer
Second-guessing town clerks, requiring a two-person, bipartisan team to check ballot boxes, instead of the clerk or a trusted member of their staff. This restriction will place undue pressure on town clerks, and will lead to many towns simply getting rid of their secure drop boxes.
Prohibiting towns from including return postage on absentee ballots, even if taxpayers vote to fund it.
Preventing you from calling your town clerk to request a ballot, making it harder for those without reliable transportation or internet to request an absentee ballot.
It eliminates ongoing absentee ballots, even though this has been a boon for Maine seniors and Mainers with disabilities.
It shortens the time period for early absentee voting by two days - two of the most popular days for early absentee voting.

Below are some ways you can help defeat this referendum.

Canvasses: Save Maine Absentee Voting is hosting canvasses throughout the state in August to let Mainers know more about the impacts of Question 1 and asking them to Pledge to Vote No on 1.

Storyteller Trainings: One of the most effective ways to defeat this ballot initiative is to show voters that their neighbors, friends, and community members will be harmed if absentee voting is dismantled. To do that, SMAV is recruiting Mainers to share how they use absentee voting and how it would affect them if it went away.

In Person Storyteller Training

Date: Monday, August 11 Time: 6 - 7:30 p.m. Where: Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant Street, Brunswick