Gov. Janet Mills on Friday urged Maine voters to oppose Question 1 on the statewide ballot this November, saying if the referendum passes it will only make it harder to vote.

Question 1 would require a photo ID to cast a ballot, while adding restrictions to absentee voting, including eliminating two days of early voting. It was placed on the ballot by conservative activists who say it’s needed to protect election integrity, even though there is scant evidence that voter fraud is a problem.

“Maine is proud to lead the nation in voter participation because of our long history of safe and secure elections,” Mills said in her radio address Friday. “Whether you vote in person or by absentee ballot, you can trust that your vote will be counted fairly. But that fundamental right to vote is under attack from Question 1.”

Opposition from the state’s top Democrat is not surprising. The measure is also opposed by the Democratic Governors Association, as well as the official campaign arms of the House and Senate Democrats.

In addition to requiring a photo ID when voting and eliminating two days of early voting, the proposal would prohibit requests by phone and from family members for absentee ballots, prevent people from receiving absentee ballots annually without requesting them and limit the number of ballot drop boxes, among other changes.

While Maine does not require identification in order to vote, identification is required to register to vote.

Supporters of Question 1 say it would strengthen Maine election law, and point to similar laws in 36 other states that already request or require voters to show some form of identification at the polls. As of April 2025, 23 states ask for a photo ID and 13 states also accept non-photo IDs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

“It does not come as a surprise that Gov. Mills would side with the radical left that does not want voter ID to be law in Maine, though it is a poor choice given her imminent run for Senate and the fact a vast majority of Mainers across party lines support voter ID,” said Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, a lead organizer of the Question 1 campaign.

Proponents of Question 1 have also seized on a recent report of a Newburgh woman receiving 250 blank ballots in an Amazon package as evidence greater election security is needed. State officials have said that case is being investigated, and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat also opposed to Question 1, has defended absentee voting in Maine, saying absentee ballots are protected by a number of measures already in place.

Bulk ballots and envelopes are sent to municipalities via tracked UPS and USPS packages. All absentee ballots must be returned individually in a signed return envelope that’s paired with the voter, and those are tracked by town clerks at every step, Bellows said earlier this week.

Question 1 is one of two referendums on statewide ballots Nov. 4. Last month, Mills’ came out in opposition to referendum Question 2, which seeks to establish an extreme risk protection order, or red flag, law in Maine.

Staff Writer Rachel Ohm contributed to this report.