National groups aligned with Democrats are gearing up to oppose a referendum that would require a photo ID to vote in Maine along with a host of other election changes.
Three organizations responsible for electing Democratic governors, U.S. senators and House members have all created ballot question committees to oppose the November referendum, according to campaign finance reports with the Maine Ethics Commission.
While the initial reports don’t yet include contributions or spending, the filings are another signal that the campaign will be expensive and involve interest groups with the ability to spend millions to influence voters.
The Democratic Governors Association spent nearly $200 million on the 2022 election, including more than $9 million on the race for Maine governor.
At least one Republican group has indicated that it too will spend big on the voter ID referendum. The Republican State Leadership Committee has already donated a half million dollars to the campaign committee behind it.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 36 other states require voters to present some form of identification before voting, but only nine of those states have strict photo ID requirements. Maine would become the 10th if this proposal is backed by voters.
Supporters cite polling that suggest that requiring a photo ID to vote is a popular concept that guards against fraud.
Opponents argue that the photo ID requirement is unnecessary because voters present identification when they register to vote. They also note that the referendum contains a host of other restrictions, including new limits on absentee voting, municipal drop boxes, ending a program that allows senior citizens to sign up to receive an absentee ballot automatically before each election and eliminating student IDs as a valid form of photo identification.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
