Once I was registered, when I went to vote for the first time after moving to Maine 20-plus years ago, I was shocked to learn I wasn’t required to prove who I was in order to vote. I only needed to state my name and address. Maine’s process contrasts with the state I moved from, which was to give my name to the election official, then add my signature to the voter list, and then it was matched to the signature I had submitted when I first registered to vote there.
When a friend told me about the voter ID initiative in 2024 and asked me to help out, I was more than happy to join the effort. There are 36 other states that already require voters to present some form of an ID, and Maine should join them.
Every vote matters and each person’s vote should be protected.
Irene Wagner
Lewiston