This referendum question will appear on statewide ballots on Election Day 2025 – November 4.
How did this referendum come about? Who sponsored it?
In 2024, a citizen’s initiative campaign known as “Voter ID for ME,” supported by the Dinner Table PAC, collected signatures for restrictive changes to Maine’s voting laws. The Secretary of State’s office has since certified enough of those signatures, and the referendum question is now poised to be on the ballot on Election Day – on November 4, 2025. You can read the full draft proposal here.
What would this referendum do if it became law?
It would eliminate ongoing absentee voting for elderly and disabled Mainers.
It would shorten the time period for early absentee voting by two days.
It would make it hard for Mainers who rely on absentee voting to cast their ballot, including elderly people, people with disabilities, Mainers in rural communities, and Mainers who are out of state on Election Day.
It would impact municipal clerks’ jobs by:
Limiting the number of secure ballot drop-off boxes a town may offer
Requiring a two-person, bipartisan team to check ballot boxes, instead of the clerk or a trusted member of their staff.
Prohibiting towns from including return postage on absentee ballots, even if taxpayers vote to fund it.
Preventing voters from calling their town clerk to request a ballot.
It would require voters to show an approved form of photo ID in order to obtain their ballot.
My disabled neighbor signed up for ongoing absentee voting recently. Would that still be allowed?
No. If this referendum became law, it would end ongoing absentee voting.
My elderly parent lives one town over from me and doesn’t drive anymore. Right now they’re able to call their town clerk to request a ballot, and then I can pick it up and drop it off for them. Would I still be able to do that?
No. If this referendum became law, voters would no longer be able to request an absentee ballot by phone. They would need to request an absentee ballot in writing – either by mail, online, or in-person. They also would not be allowed to delegate a trusted family member or friend to pick up their ballot for them.
I’ve heard that this might impact whether my town has a ballot drop-off box. Is that true?
Yes. This referendum would require town clerks to find a bipartisan pair of citizens to check ballot drop-off boxes, rather than checking it themselves or designating a trusted staff member to do so. This could be a significant hurdle for clerks, who are already busy, and we anticipate many towns may simply opt to not have a drop-off box.
If I request an absentee ballot online or by mail, how do I provide my ID in order to get a ballot?
Under the proposal, a voter would need to mail in to their town clerk either: their driver’s license number or nondriver ID number, or a copy of an approved photo ID. Further than that, more specific rulemaking would be left up to the Secretary of State’s Office. We feel this raises clear questions about privacy and security.
What kinds of IDs are allowed? What would not be allowed?
Under the proposal, the following types of ID could be used to obtain a ballot:
State driver’s license
State-issued nondriver ID
Passport or passport card
Military ID
Which means the following forms of ID would not be allowed:
