Jan. 6—AUGUSTA — Organizers of an effort to require Maine voters to show photo identification before filling out their ballots have turned in petitions to send the measure to a citizens’ referendum this fall.
The group behind the effort submitted the petitions Monday and said they contain more than 170,000 signatures, far more than required to force a statewide vote. The Secretary of State’s Office must now review and formally certify the petitions.
Among other things, the proposal would require people to present a photo ID at the polls or when requesting an absentee ballot, unless they have a religious exemption to being photographed.
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Voters without a photo ID could cast a provisional ballot, which would be counted if they produce a photo ID within four days of the election. It would also require the secretary of state to provide free state nondriver IDs to people who need them.
Enacting a statewide voter ID requirement has been proposed repeatedly by Republicans in the Maine Legislature in recent years, but has been blocked by Democrats, who have criticized the costs of such a program and warned that the new requirement would create long lines at the polls and effectively discourage voting.
In order for citizen initiatives to get on the ballot, supporters must submit a required number of signatures from registered Maine voters to the secretary of state. That number is equal to 10% of the number of votes cast in the last gubernatorial election, or 67,682 based on the results of the 2022 gubernatorial election.
This story will be updated.
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