It was encouraging to read the Morning Sentinel’s editorial concerning a new law slipped in by the Legislature. This law will prevent new voters from registering to vote on Election Day.

Since this new law allows only two working days for election officials to examine the validity of the registrant, no reasonable and productive search can be performed in such a short time.

Clearly, the purpose of this law is to harass and discourage new voters from participating in democracy. I can see no other reason to require such a waiting period.

Maine has one of the best voting records in the United States. Maine’s allowing of voter registration on Election Day certainly plays no small part in that laudable record.

I am one of those who walked about with a petition to allow a people’s veto of this anti-democratic law.

At first, I told someone that if they hadn’t voted for a couple gubernatorial elections they would have to re-register. I was corrected and told to check my facts.

I stand corrected. I asked a former elections volunteer and she said that once aa voter was registered, it was for life. I was told many years ago that re-registration was required after a voting lapse. I should have been more skeptical back then.

As for the inconvenience of registration at the polls, the same former volunteer said that an elections registrar at the entrance to the voter line would be more efficient and cause the line to move more smoothly since unregistered voters would not have to stand in line more than once. Furthermore, the election volunteers would not have to take time out to issue long explanations.

Peter P. Sirois

Madison

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