Monday, January 29, 2007
Characterizing it as a partisan attempt at disenfranchising a large segment of Maine voters, Maine College Democrats plan to present their arguments before the Maine Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
"I'm not naive; this is about targeting a demographic that does not vote Republican," Maine College Democrats President Henry Beck said on Saturday. "Instead of trying to make college more affordable or trying to get more Maine kids to stay in the state, they've drafted a bill that would effectively kick thousands of Maine kids off the voting rolls."
But the bill's sponsor, Rep. L. Gary Knight, R- Livermore Falls, said the bill is targeting dishonest voting practices, not Democrats, and called accusations of partisanship "ludicrous." College students who claim residency in Maine but spend summers or holidays in other states pose a threat to full- time residents, Knight said.
"What it does is disenfranchise Maine voters who are paying their taxes," he said. "I want these kids to become part of the political process. But I don't want them to determine who our governor is, and then head back to California or Michigan, or wherever they're from."
Knight said his bill served the interests of both Republicans and Democrats in Maine, and had received bipartisan support.
According to the Web site of the Maine Legislature, the bill, titled "An Act Concerning Student Voter Registration," is cosponsored by eight legislators -- all Republicans.
Knight also accused Maine college students of committing large-scale voter fraud by casting absentee ballots while also voting in Maine elections.
"They laugh about it, it's a joke," Knight said. "They can overwhelm a community."
Knight also said that he had no evidence to substantiate these allegations.
Republicans made similar accusations against college students in the 2002 elections, according to the student newspaper of the University of Maine at Orono.
Beck pointed to this as being a pattern of partisanship and intimidation among Republicans toward students in Maine.
"Our parents and grandparents were the ones who taught us how important voting is, and this bill is the opposite of caring about your community," he said.
Joel Elliott -- 861-9252
jelliott@centralmaine.com
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I hung around as a couple of students registered and a box number at Smith Union is sufficient to make them a "maine" resident, eligible to vote on every local issue, including bonds, etc.
It might be legal, but it sucks and the DEM's have got a well oiled machine at work here. Republicans, Greens, and Independents are all victims.report abuse
There are persistent rumors that many of these students vote 'back home' via absentee ballot; since there is no way to Xcheck between Maine and say, CT voting precincts.
If illegal immigrants can show up a register to vote, who's to say a student wouldn't do the same?
Yup, I've got the cheat sheet on my Bull. board. report abuse
Rep. Gary Knight (who sponsored this inane unconstitutional piece of claptrap LD#203 tripe) needs to intensely review the equal protection clause...for starters (or be recalled for sheer stupidity & ignorance, I'm not sure which).
http://tinyurl.com/2bpack
U.S. Supreme Court
REYNOLDS v. SIMS, 377 U.S. 533 (1964)
377 U.S. 533
"To the extent that a citizen's right to vote is debased, he is that much less a citizen.The fact that an individual lives here or there is not a legitimate reason for overweighting or diluting the efficacy of his vote. The complexions of societies and civilizations change, often with amazing rapidity. A nation once primarily rural in character becomes predominantly urban. Representation schemes once fair and equitable become archaic and outdated. But the basic principle of representative government remains, and must remain, unchanged - the weight of a citizen's vote cannot be made to depend on where he lives. Population is, of necessity, the starting point for consideration and the controlling criterion for judgment in legislative apportionment controversies. A citizen, a qualified voter, is no more nor no less so because he lives in the city or on the farm. This is the clear and strong command of our Constitution's Equal Protection Clause. This is an essential part of the concept of a government of laws and not men. This is at the heart of Lincoln's vision of "government of the people, by the people, [and] for the people." The Equal Protection Clause demands no less than substantially equal state legislative representation for all citizens, of all places as well as of all races...."
http://tinyurl.com/33hcrz
*Nowhere* is there proof that on-campus traditional students in Maine vote twice (who are indeed legal residents, BTW--provided they can prove U.S. citizenship via photo ID; & proof of residency status).
I am a Maine Notary Public, BTW.
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