Voters Can Register and Vote on Election Day

PORTLAND – While voting rights are under attack around the country, Maine voters can still register and vote on Election Day, including for tomorrow’s party primary, thanks to a successful campaign last November to restore same-day voter registration.
 
“Maine voters spoke with a strong and clear voice last November when they overwhelmingly voted to restore same-day voter registration,” said Shenna Bellows, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine and a leader of the Protect Maine Votes Coalition. “Maine voters went to the polls in November and stood up for their right to vote. Because they did, voters can still register to vote and cast their ballots tomorrow and fully participate in our state’s primary.”
 
Last year, the Maine Legislature eliminated same-day voter registration, a practice that has a nearly 40-year history of helping Maine residents to vote. The Protect Maine Votes Coalition quickly formed and launched a successful People’s Veto to restore voting rights. In November, the veto passed overwhelmingly, capturing more than 60 percent of the vote.
 
“Maine voters take their right to vote very seriously,” said Barbara McDade of the League of Women Voters of Maine. “Our state has a history of high voter participation, in part because we have same-day voter registration. Voters tomorrow, even if they haven’t registered yet, can still participate in our democracy.”
 
Eligible Maine voters can register tomorrow, June 12, to vote and cast their ballot on the same day.
 
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