A sweep by Democrats and Democratic backed measures by large margins across the country in Tuesday’s election has carried over into ballot measures in Maine.
Question 1 to increase restrictions on absentee voting and require photo ID to vote was defeated, with almost 65 percent of ballots cast against the measure. The Associated Press called the race with around 50 percent of the votes counted and the “No” votes winning 60 percent to 40 percent.
Several Democratic groups – Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Democrat Governor’s Association and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee – released a joint statement saying the measure’s defeat will ensure safe and easy elections.
“Thank you to all the Mainers who helped us stand up to the out-of-state dark money that flooded into the state for this gun control referendum. We deeply appreciate every volunteer, every supporter, every vote, and every law enforcement officer who weighed in against Question 2. We are glad that Maine’s yellow flag law remains intact, and we look forward to continuing to work to improve our state’s safety. We’re going to be reviewing all options to keep Mainers safe as we move into the future of the state.”
The Republican backed group supporting Question 1 said the measure was sabotaged by misleading ballot language.
“Unfortunately, Maine has a partisan Secretary of State who used her powerful position to weaponize the ballot question,” said a release from the Dinner Table Action. “Ultimately, Maine voters did not have the opportunity to vote on Voter ID. The opposition claimed that Question 1 would get rid of absentee voting and centered their campaign on that fiction. Instead of honestly debating the merits of Voter ID, they spread lies and fear, convincing voters to vote against their own interests.”
Opponents of Question 1 outspend backers by a nearly 3-to-1 margin, about $2 million by opponents compared to about $600,000 by proponents.
Poll results show Question 2 to establish a Red Flag law in Maine has passed with about 63 percent voting Yes. The Associated Press called the race at about 10 p.m. Tuesday.
The Red Flag law will expand the state’s current Yellow Flag Law to allow family members, in addition to police, to ask a judge to remove guns from a person deemed dangerous. The measure will also eliminate the Yellow Flag Law’s requirement for a mental health evaluation.
Supporters of Question 2 say it’s common sense, responsible gun legislation, while opponents say it’s not needed because the Yellow Flag Law has been effective after its use increased following the Lewiston mass shooting. The also say provisions in the Red Flag Law make it too easy to take guns away from people.
“Maine voters have taken the safety of our communities into our own hands by passing common-sense, responsible gun legislation that will save lives and help keep our kids and families safe, not just from the horrors of a tragedy like Lewiston, but from the devastating impacts of everyday gun violence,” said Maine Gun Safety Coalition Executive Director Nacole Palmer,, which sponsored Question 2. “Despite years of opposition from the gun lobby and the politicians they back, we’ve shown that our movement for common-sense, responsible gun ownership is stronger.”
Opponents of Question 2 also claim the election was overrun by out of state dark money.
“Thank you to all the Mainers who helped us stand up to the out-of-state dark money that flooded into the state for this gun control referendum, said the No on 2 Coalition in a statement. “We deeply appreciate every volunteer, every supporter, every vote, and every law enforcement officer who weighed in against Question 2. We are glad that Maine’s yellow flag law remains intact.”
The passage of the Red Flag Law means the measure will go into effect alongside the Yellow Flag Law and will not replace it.
Supporters of Question 2 far outspent opponents by an almost 9-to-1 margin.
