By REP. MARC MALON, Special to the Gazette

Next week is Election Day, but for many, including my wife, Jenn, and me, ballots have already been cast. This is because of Maine’s excellent voting laws, which allow voters to cast an absentee ballot as early as 30 days before Election Day.

This flexibility is a godsend for many of our neighbors, especially seniors, folks with disabilities and people whose jobs make it difficult to vote during the business week. All of these neighbors share with us the sacred constitutional rights and freedoms to vote and to have our votes counted in a fair election. 

This year, in addition to the many seats up for election in Biddeford, Mainers are being asked to vote on two referendum questions, which can be found in detail here. In short, Question 1 limits citizens’ rights to request an absentee ballot, among other restrictive measures, and Question 2 allows concerned family or household members to petition the court to issue an extreme risk protection order that will temporarily remove dangerous weapons from an individual’s possession. These are important questions of public policy which I urge everyone reading this to consider carefully.

As someone who has professionally observed elections for 20 years, the mechanics of Maine’s elections are exceptionally well-run. Serving on the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee — which, among many other issues, oversees the Secretary of State’s Elections Division — I have learned a great deal about this topic, including how ballots are distributed to communities. 

Ballots are printed at a reputable Maine printshop in Augusta and are then sealed with security tape and clearly marked as ballots at the printer. From there they are marked additionally for tracking and chain of custody purposes. They are shipped directly, with tracking information, from the printer to Maine’s towns and cities using the U.S. Postal Service and UPS. Once they arrive at the municipality, the appropriate municipal official must sign for it. That official must then count the number of ballots received, confirm the number and submit a receipt directly to the Secretary of State’s Elections Division. 

And that’s not all! Absentee ballot envelopes are printed separately at a different printer, and then sent — and tracked -– separately to towns across the state. This prevents them from being mixed up with ballots during shipment and provides extra security.

When a voter requests an absentee ballot, the clerk records the request, confirms the voter’s registration, marks the return envelope with the voter’s information and makes a record of sending the ballot to the voter. The absentee ballot must be returned in the envelope provided, then sealed and signed by the voter on the appropriate line. Upon return, the clerk will inspect the envelope and signature — and any affidavit and witness certification on the envelope — and determine whether the voter has returned the ballot appropriately. Then, they must mark whether the returned ballot was accepted or rejected. 

If there is an issue, the clerk is supposed to make a good-faith effort to contact the voter so that the voter may fix the issue if they are able. The envelope of an accepted ballot is not opened then, but rather stored securely until the time at which the town processes its absentee ballots — which can be no more than seven days before election day. Additionally, there is the added safeguard that all citizens who reside in Maine and wish to register to vote must provide ID and proof of residency upon registration. 

This system works because it is thorough and fair. It has appropriate checks, balances and safeguards to ensure that when something goes wrong, election integrity is not compromised. And it ensures that every eligible Mainer is able to cast their vote and have it counted. 

The safeguards and procedures behind how our elections are administered are essential to a free and fair democracy. In my committee, politicians sometimes introduce unnecessary bills to restrict voting rights or cause problems in the mechanics of our elections. Sometimes these politicians tell dishonest stories about election integrity or deny the legitimate results of elections, like Donald Trump did in 2020. Then they say we should pass restrictive measures because voters “have concerns.”

To me, the best way to alleviate voters’ concerns about our elections is to tell the truth about them. So when you see a proposal containing a mess of restrictions on voting, it is important to ask “why,” “is this really necessary,” and “is this information true and accurate?”  

Your vote is yours, and it is sacred. The truth about Maine’s elections is that they are safe and secure, and they are set up so that you can exercise a freedom that generations of Americans fought for. 

Happy voting. 

Happy? Not Happy? The Biddeford Gazette welcomes feedback from our readers, especially when it comes to different opinions and perspectives. For more information, about how to send a Letter to the Editor or Guest Column, please contact us.

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Rep. Marc Malon is serving his second term in the Maine House, representing a portion of Biddeford. He serves as a member of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee and the Housing and Economic Development Committee. He can be reached via email at marc.malon@legislature.maine.gov. 

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