I had the privilege of chairing the 2012 Elections Commission, which was charged with carrying out the legislative resolve to study “voter participation … and the conduct of elections in the state.” This was a protracted effort with representatives of differing views who conducted hearings throughout the state.

Since then, there has been intense interest in the conduct of our elections with Maine voters leading the nation in voter participation and an active legislature looking to improve this important democratic function. Question 1 could change all that, making it difficult for elderly and disabled Mainers who vote by absentee ballot. 

Question 1 contains language requiring detailed bipartisan handling of ballots, which, I believe, is not only unnecessary, but places an unreasonable burden on local election officials.

In sum, while I believe that the sentiment behind Question 1 may be defensible, burdening our elderly and disabled voters and our town officials is not.

John Atwood
Newcastle