Yesterday, Chris Bowers reported that the polling on the referendum to restore same-day voter registration to Maine was too close to call.

The effort to suppress the vote in Maine has been helped out by a massive, secret donation of $250,000 by unknown donors and in violation of Maine's election laws. They're using that influx of cash to blanket the state with a deceptive ad that seems intended to confuse voters.

Neither Election Day registration nor same-day voter registration is mentioned in the No on 1 ad. Instead, the ad cites "Maine's ethics law," a term not associated with and seemingly unrelated to the Legislature's bill last session that attempted to repeal Election Day registration. The narrator in the 15-second ad says, "Who should decide Maine's elections, Mainers or outsiders from other states? Today, outside interests are trying to get rid of Maine's ethics law. Keep Maine's elections fair. Keep Maine's elections decided by Mainers. Vote no on Question 1." David Farmer, a spokesman for Protect Maine Votes, the coalition seeking to preserve Election Day registration, believes the ad is designed to make voters think that a yes vote will repeal Maine's Clean Election law, a campaign finance system designed to limit the influence of outside money in Maine elections. "From the looks of this ad, the opponents of voting rights are trying to confuse the elimination of same-day registration with the Maine Clean Election Act, which is overwhelmingly popular with voters," Farmer said. "The irony is that many of the people who want to ban same-day voter registration also want to kill clean elections."

That $250,000 can buy a lot of deceptive ads in a small state like Maine.

The good news is that Protect Maine Votes is also running ads to make sure that voters understand that a "yes" vote will restore the right to same-day registration that they've enjoyed for 40 years. And it doesn't take a lot of money for them to send their message either.

You can help. Your donation of as little as $5 to Protect Maine Votes will make a big difference.

This is the first salvo in the war on voting for 2012. Turning it back in Maine will help build momentum to fight voter suppression across the nation in this, and the next, election.