With less than a month to go before Maine's November 7 Referendum Election, more than 30,000 voters have already requested a no-excuse absentee ballot.
State officials say the ease of absentee voting helped Maine rank first in the nation last year for voter turnout.
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said while many voters still enjoy in-person voting on Election Day, it's important for voters to have choices.
"When we maximize the opportunity for people to vote, we increase the number of people who actually participate," said Bellows. "And the more people that participate in our democracy, the stronger our democracy is."
Ballot requests are currently lower compared with years past, but Bellows said that could change in the coming days as voters conclude how they'll vote on the eight referendum questions.
More than 60% of Mainers voted by absentee ballot in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since then, false claims of widespread voter fraud have forced officials to defend the long-standing checks and balances that ensure ballot security.
Bellows said that includes the required absentee ballot envelope, which must be signed before it's returned in-person, by mail or at a drop-off ballot box.
"That's what prevents people from photocopying or reproducing ballots and stuffing ballot boxes," said Bellows. "Every ballot has to be assigned with a verified voter, who has made an appropriate request from the clerk."
Voters can also track the status of their absentee ballot online to ensure it's been received by 8 p.m. on November 7.
With Maine's consistently high voter turnout rate, Bellows added that absentee ballots also help shorten voting lines on Election Day and reduce the demands on election workers.
Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.
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A common narrative suggests that deeply polarized American voters always support their party's candidates, but a new study suggests otherwise in certain circumstances.
Researchers from Sacramento State and San Diego State universities asked more than 900 partisan voters about housing and homelessness - then asked them to choose, in a hypothetical local election - between a candidate from their party who disagreed with their views, or one from the opposite party who is aligned with them on policy.
Sacramento State Associate Professor of Political Science Danielle Martin co-authored the study.
"Overall, voters do support candidates from their own party - even when an opposite party candidate was closer to their views on one of those salient local issues," said Martin. "But we also found that about 40% defected from their party."
The study found that people with weak party loyalty were more likely to defect, as were people who are very invested in their policy position.
They also found that in national and state-level races, people are much less likely to split their votes between parties.
Study co-author Professor of Public Policy and Administration Ted Lascher, also from Sacramento State, said the data show that voters are more flexible when an issue hits close to home.
"One of the implications is that somebody who's running, who's the out party, in terms of local party identification, may be able to win elections in city council and mayoral races," said Lascher, "if they choose the issue very carefully. Because voters will sometimes cross party lines on particular local issues."
San Diego State University Political Science Professor Brian Adams said this means that even though Democrats enjoy broad support in California, that support is more conditional than absolute in local races.
"A lot of this research suggests that if Republicans put forward candidates that actually agreed with some of the policy positions that Democratic voters have," said Adams, "at least some Democratic voters would be willing to switch."
About 96% of electoral contests in the U.S. are at the local level - for races such as the school board, the city council, and the county board of supervisors.
Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
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A proposal to end closed party primaries and use a ranked choice system will appear on the November ballot.
With less than two months to the election, a district court judge has dismissed a challenge from Attorney General Raúl Labrador to keep Proposition 1 off the ballot.
The initiative would end the state's closed party primaries and implement a ranked choice voting system. Labrador argued signature gatherers misled the public on the nature of the initiative.
In August, the state Supreme Court dismissed a similar claim from the Attorney General.
Margaret Kinzel, liaison with Mormon Women for Ethical Government and Idahoans for Open Primaries, said Labrador has failed to prove his case.
"We are gratified that the system worked," said Kinzel, "and that the citizen's ballot initiative process has been protected."
Kinzel said the organizations she's affiliated with have continued doing outreach despite the challenges to Proposition 1.
In response to the district court ruling, Labrador said it's up to voters whether to approve "an expensive ranked choice voting system that has resulted in confusion" in other states.
Kinzel said the initiative will allow about 270,000 independent voters, not affiliated with either major party, to participate in consequential primary elections.
"They currently cannot vote in the taxpayer-funded primary elections, particularly the Republican primary election in May," said Kinzel, "and that is where most races are decided, because we have such a strong Republican majority in the state."
Supporters have said opponents to Proposition 1 have exaggerated costs for implementing the initiative. Kinzel also pushed back on the idea that the top-four ranked choice voting system is confusing.
"We really do ranked choice voting all the time," said Kinzel. "We send somebody to the grocery store and say, 'Buy the apple pie. If they don't have apple, get blueberry.' And so this really is this idea of we express our preference. If that preference is not available we move on to our second preference."
The general election takes place on November 5.
Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
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For the 2024 presidential election, Wisconsin has retained its status as a battleground state.
That means voters are hearing a lot from campaigns and their supporters, and one expert says there are ways to become better informed about those running.
The Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and her Republican counterpart Donald Trump have already crisscrossed Wisconsin at various points, with more visits expected.
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Political Science Professor David Helpap said if you're approached by a campaign volunteer, ask about the candidate's stances on certain issues that come to mind.
After that encounter, a little homework is encouraged.
"If time allows it, do some of your own research to check the facts - to go to news sources, reputable news sources," said Helpap. "There are some nonprofit organizations out there that try to provide good, nonpartisan unbiased information."
Vote411.org is one of those sites that outlines a candidate's stances on certain issues, as well as their previous voting and policy record.
Helpap said cross-checking that information with the answers from a campaign staffer can help assess whether that person is worthy of your vote.
He also encouraged comparing criticisms of rival candidates with the facts, to see if they match up.
Helpap said if you have the time, attending a political rally is another valuable way of becoming an informed voter.
"And particularly in swing states where we are seeing so many visits by different people," said Helpap, "politicians, groups, even celebrities in some cases."
Helpap said even if you don't agree with a candidate's views, showing up to an event allows you to gain some insight into how other voters feel, possibly making political discourse less hostile.
He added that this kind of added exposure is hard to come by in non-swing states. Political experts say these tips are just as important in deciding candidates for state and local offices.
Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
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