Maine makes it easy to vote, which is why it’s one of the states with the highest levels of voter turnout. GOPers can’t have that. During the 2011 legislative session in Maine, the GOP-controlled House and Senate passed a bill to end the state’s 38-year old law on Election Day voter registration. Of course, the teabagger Governor, Paul LePage, signed it. But, today, a a broad coalition of Mainers submitted the signatures needed to overturn that new law using the people’s veto.

From Protect Maine Votes:

Protect Maine Votes today submitted 68,064 signatures to the Secretary of State, surpassing the required number of signatures to place a people’s veto on the ballot in November. “Mainers have rallied to the cause to protect voting rights,” said Barbara McDade, the president of the League of Women Voters of Maine and the person who helped to launch the people’s veto campaign. “Our right to vote is fundamental. Thousands of people have signed on to make sure that every eligible person can vote. Today we have taken an important step in restoring Election Day registration.” A broad coalition of groups began working to collect signatures early in July to repeal a law that eliminates Election Day registration. On July 6, the Secretary of State released the people’s veto question, allowing signature collection to begin. On July 8, a statewide kickoff was held, beginning an intense three-week effort to collect the required 57,277 signatures to place the people’s veto on the ballot. The deadline to submit signatures for the question to appear on the Nov. 8 ballot is Aug. 9. Protect Maine Votes expects to turn in additional signatures on Tuesday, and the number of signatures will likely increase beyond 68,064.

Good.

Can’t wait to see who lines up to defend this anti-democratic law. Protect Maine Votes should make it all about Paul LePage, who is doing his best to drive Maine off the cliff.

Have to wonder what Senators Collins and Snowe will have to say about this. Probably nothing. They’ll say something like they don’t get involved in state issues, which makes no sense. But, Rep. Chellie Pingree is on board with the campaign to repeal the anti-voting law. Got an email from her today:

The Protect Maine Votes coalition has collected 68,000 signatures to halt the elimination of Election Day registration by placing a People’s Veto on the ballot in November. Across the state of Maine, volunteers from all walks of life worked together for long hours for the same goal: to protect the voting rights of Maine people. Many said it couldn’t be done in such a short time frame, but we proved them wrong. Thank you to everyone who supported this effort. Maine has a proud history of civic engagement and our laws have only helped support this tradition. I’m proud of this history and hope that together we can protect the fundamental voting rights of Maine people.

One would think that protecting the fundamental voting rights of Maine people would supercede partisan politics. But, in 2011, not so much.