Sen. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, was first elected to the Legislature in 2000 and is serving her sixth non-consecutive term in the Maine Senate. She served in the Maine House of Representatives and on the Lewiston School Committee for eight years.

It’s my honor to represent Lewiston in the state Senate. In this position, I have been able to see just how active and informed Maine voters are. Maine consistently ranks among the best states in the nation when it comes to voter turnout. It’s something to be proud of. Maine voters are dedicated to exercising their rights and making their voices heard — whether that’s in the halls of the State House, in letters and calls to their elected leaders or at the ballot box. 

One of the issues voters are hearing about this fall is Question 1, which will appear on statewide ballots. The referendum proposes a slew of changes of Maine law, most of them aimed at our absentee voting laws.

For many of my constituents, absentee voting is a lifeline that allows them to exercise their right to vote. Having run in 24 different elections, I know how seriously my constituents take their responsibility to vote and have observed the great lengths they will go to in order to exercise this right. This is especially true for older voters. Maine is the oldest state in the nation — and this is likely to be true for the foreseeable future. With an older population living in so many rural communities, absentee voting is vital. 

I think about people who no longer feel safe driving in inclement weather, and so may vote early or absentee to avoid any of the weather complications that can occur in Maine in November. I think about people who don’t have reliable transportation or don’t drive at all.  I think about the hardworking family caretakers — spouses or adult children who are looking after loved ones who have a serious medical condition and simply can’t be left alone. For them, absentee voting is a must.

There are also people who may not be able to rely on being able to get to the polling place on Election Day for other reasons — people who are at risk for a flare-up or acute spike of an existing medical condition. Mainers with compromised immune systems, including those undergoing cancer treatment, who need to avoid large crowds, such as those at a polling place, to protect themselves. And certainly, the people closest to them may also need to take such a precaution to avoid bringing any illness home. 

I have many constituents with stories like these. There are others, as well, who work long hours or multiple jobs; or whose jobs take them away from their city or town of residence — Mainers who are juggling real responsibilities and the everyday complications life brings.

Their constitutional right to vote must be honored. Their votes matter. 

But Question 1 includes a slew of harmful provisions that attack absentee voting. While no single one change may seem “that bad,” taken together, they have the real potential to create insurmountable challenges for many voters. Banning requests for absentee ballots by phone or on behalf of a homebound loved one; prohibiting the inclusion of return postage; shortening the time allowed for early, in-person voting — the changes included in Question 1 amount to death by a thousand cuts. 

Maine’s elections are safe and secure. Our election laws make sense for our voters and the challenges they face. I’m urging voters to reject this attack on absentee voting, and vote “No” on Question 1.