I am so glad that the Oct. 21 editorial featured Sen. Angus King’s impassioned plea to his fellow senators to at least debate the Freedom to Vote Act (“Our View: Maine’s Sen. King sounds alarm on democracy in danger”).

Legislators in red states have been passing laws designed not only to make it more difficult for minorities to votes but to give state officials the right to declare a vote fraudulent when it doesn’t conform to their wishes. Sound familiar?

Sen. King also said that the filibuster, originally used rarely, was meant to give pause and the opportunity to engage in debate, not to kill a bill from neglect. But that is what happened when the Freedom to Vote Act came before the Senate. Not a single Republican voted to hear the bill. (I can just see Vlad Putin clapping his hands in delight!)

I’m proud to be from Angus King’s state. Funny, though, I would have expected a defender of democracy to also be the other senator from Maine — the protégé of Margaret Chase Smith.

 

Melanie Lanctot

Readfield

Related Headlines


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.