Action 62 – Zoom in on voter suppression and human rights
Background. We’ve been alerting you repeatedly to a dangerous piece of national voter suppression legislation (HR22- the “SAVE” Act), and a related Maine referendum coming up for a vote in November (See Action Alerts #8, #9, #21, #24 and #54. You can read past action alerts at isledems.org/initiatives). By now you know the issues and have probably made more than a few phone calls about HR 22. But you may want a refresher on the details, and find out how Maine plans to cope if the bill passes the US Congress.
Something interesting was pointed out in one of the many meetings that have been held on HR22. When a woman divorces, she may decide to BURN her previous marriage certificate and other documentation that she would need to prove the chain of custody of her name in order to vote. (I can easily see how that could happen!)
Also, the bill supposedly contains “fail safe provisions” that will allow married women to get around a strict requirement for documentation. However, under the SAVE act, poll workers are subjected to criminal liability if they inadvertently let someone vote without proper documentation. Poll workers are largely volunteer women. Would you volunteer with that threat hanging over your head? Are poll workers covered by liability insurance for inadvertent mistakes?
We must do our best to defeat HR 22, and also the November voter suppression referendum. (More on that in a few weeks.)
Action: You can zoom in on a meeting with Shenna Bellows, our amazing Secretary of State, organized by Indivisible Bangor. When you register, you can also send questions you would like Secretary Bellows to address. Then, fire up your phone to call Golden and Collins again.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2025 | 5:30-7:00PM ET
Special Virtual Event on Election Integrity and Human Rights with
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows
Hosted by Indivisible Bangor | REGISTER HERE
Tip: if you do register, try to log in to the meeting early. Many zoom meetings lately have been oversubscribed, and if you are late to the party, you might not get in because the “room” is full.
This is a good indication that people are increasingly mobilizing!
Extra Credit:
Here’s the full text of LD22. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/22/text