AUGUSTA, Maine – The nation will be watching New England on Tuesday to see how the presidential candidates fare in the New Hampshire primary, and backers of a Maine ballot proposal hope to ride a wave of young voter turnout in November.

David Boyer, manager of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, says he is excited about the prospects of Mainers getting to turn thumbs up or down on the legalization of marijuana when voter interest should be way up due to the presidential election.

"2016 is going to be a big year for voter turnout,” he points out. “Lots of young voters. If (Sen.) Bernie (Sanders) is the nominee there will be a lot of young people voting, and young people support this. They know that marijuana is safer than alcohol."

Last week, backers of the proposal turned in signatures of more than 100,000 Maine voters in support of the measure. The secretary of state has until next month to validate the signatures, and Boyer says that shouldn't be a problem. He says supporters turned in 60,000 more signatures than required.

Boyer says the ballot proposal is timely not only because more Mainers are likely to vote, but also because New England is combating far more potent drugs, such as heroin.

"Law enforcement has bigger fish to fry than adults using marijuana,” he stresses. “I mean, come on, look what's going on with the opiate problem in New Hampshire and Maine, all over this country.

“We need to let law enforcement focus on that and not be bogged down by people who are using marijuana. Nobody thinks that should be a priority for police anymore."

Gov. Paul LePage opposes the legalization on the grounds that he believes marijuana to be a gateway drug. Boyer says LePage is wrong about both that and the mood of local voters.

"Well, thankfully, this isn't up to the governor, this is up the voters of Maine, and the people have been ahead of the politicians on this issue for quite some time,” he states. “If you look nationally, we are over 50 percent for making marijuana legal, so this is the right time."

Boyer admits the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has its work cut out for it, because he says Maine voters are split right down the middle when it comes to being for or against legalizing pot.





get more stories like this via email

New York groups are providing student protesters with resources to help sustain demonstrations safely and peacefully, as the war between Israel and Hamas wears on.

In the weeks since they began, student protesters have faced arrests, rubber bullets, and other crowd-breaking tactics by law enforcement. Students want universities and colleges to divest from Israel amid the country's ongoing war with Hamas. Others have shown support for Israel.

Kalaya'an Mendoza, director of mutual protection for the group Nonviolent Peaceforce, said there are many ways to remain safe when protesting.

"If you're going to any protest, action, or demonstration, always make sure you have a buddy and always make sure that someone else knows where you are at and when you plan to be home safe," Mendoza urged. "Number two, practice situational awareness. Situational awareness is essentially understanding what's happening around you."

Mendoza emphasized protesters should also pay attention to exit points, be aware of threats, be prepared with water, a snack and necessary meds, and carry a mask in case of tear gas. For bystanders and others, he pointed out basic situational awareness can help them navigate protests and encampments.

Students aren't the only ones causing the ruckus. The New York City Police Department reported more than half of the 170 people arrested at a City College protest were not students, and 29% of the 112 arrested at Columbia were not either.

Mendoza stressed administrators should do the opposite of what they have been doing.

"School administrators should be meeting with students and should not escalate to this point," Mendoza argued. "These students are unarmed, they are engaged in practicing peaceful non-violent protest, which is a fundamental human right."

He asserted the primary source of violence has been police escalation at encampments. A report from the nonprofit Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project showed a majority of student protests occurring since last October when the war in Gaza began have been peaceful. New York has seen the most pro-Israel and pro-Palestine demonstrations with California running a close second.

South Dakota's June 4 primary will be the first national election here since ballot dropboxes were banned in 2023.

It is one of 12 states to ban using dropboxes to cast votes, although no state election offices using the boxes in 2020 found a connection to voter fraud or stolen ballots, according to an Associated Press survey. The change is more likely to impact rural and tribal voters, who already face barriers to voting.

Sen. Shawn Bordeaux, D-Mission, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, said although Native voter turnout for tribal elections is good, turnout for statewide elections is lower. He said dropboxes helped.

"It was something that a lot of people utilized on our reservation communities, where you might have to travel 70 miles to go vote," Bordeaux explained.

A 2022 federal report on Native American voting rights encourages local officials to provide sites for voter registration, polling and mail ballot collection in places convenient for Native voters.

Early voting is still possible with a mail-in absentee ballot. But Bordeaux pointed out it can be complicated on reservations, where most homes do not have street addresses. The state's voter registration form allows applicants to describe or draw a map of where they live, but they cannot use post office box numbers.

"I can't get UPS or the typical person to find my house on a map," Bordeaux noted. "It makes it even more difficult for me to figure out how to get our tribal membership so that they can vote, you know, without the P.O. box number."

Plus, South Dakota does not accept tribal ID cards for voter registration. Bordeaux sponsored a bill to change the rule in the last legislative session, but he said it was pulled from the House floor by a different sponsor who predicted it wouldn't pass. The deadline for voter registration is May 20.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Alabama has long been at the forefront of voting rights issues in the United States and despite some progress, advocates said residents continue to face barriers at the ballot box.

In a recent discussion held in Montgomery, the Center for American Progress brought together voting rights experts to shed light on the ongoing struggle against voter suppression in the state.

Kathy Jones, president of the League of Women Voters-Alabama, was on the panel and highlighted ongoing efforts hindering equitable access.

"Just this past year, we've had Wes Allen, and his office has eliminated the phone app for voter registration and being able to check your polling places," Jones pointed out. "Which is a real hardship for people who rely on their phones to be able to do the business that they need to do if they need to register to vote."

The latest way Jones noted ballot access is being blocked is the recent passage of a law criminalizing assistance with absentee ballot applications. Supporters said they believe the measure will prevent ballot harvesting.

She added other ways of restricting access to the ballot box include regulating early voting, voting by mail, voter registration and voter-list maintenance. Other laws bar thousands of persons who have served felony convictions from regaining the right to vote.

JaTaune Bosby Gilchrist, executive director of the ACLU of Alabama, said in response to the challenges, federal laws being proposed would bolster voting rights across the country. One of them is the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

"The John Lewis Voting Rights Act would essentially allow us a level of equitability across the board from, as well as the Freedom to Vote Act, making voting a holiday, ensuring early voting," Bosby Gilchrist emphasized. "Alabama is one of three states without early voting, including Mississippi and New Hampshire."

The Freedom to Vote Act would help expand voter registration, limit removing voter from voter rolls and even outlines criteria to prevent gerrymandering. Advocates also see engaging young voters and increasing overall voter turnout as ways to combat measures hindering access.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.