State of Maine Archives: on Government Reform


Sara Gideon: Worked in Maine to pass automatic voter registration

Sara voted to strengthen Maine's clean elections system after it was weakened by federal courts. In the past year, she worked in the state legislature to pass automatic voter registration to make it easier for Maine voters to participate in our electoral process and banned state lobbyists from donating to legislative and gubernatorial campaigns in Maine.
Source: 2020 Maine Senate campaign website SaraGideon.com Jun 4, 2020

Sara Gideon: End influence of big money on our elections and officials

Source: 2020 Maine Senate campaign website SaraGideon.com Jun 4, 2020

Betsy Sweet: Only Democrat to use Maine's taxpayer-funded election system

Sweet is a longtime background player in Maine politics who was the 12th-highest-paid Maine lobbyist since 2008. She finished 3rd in the 2018 gubernatorial primary won by Gov. Janet Mills in a ranked-choice race.

Sweet was the only Democrat who used Maine's taxpayer-funded election system, which won't be available to her on the federal level. She ran with a progressive agenda including single-payer health care, an hourly minimum wage of $15 and gun control.

Source: Bangor Daily News on 2020 Maine Senate race Oct 30, 2019

Sara Gideon: $500 fine for campaign finance ethics violation

Maine's ethics watchdog unanimously found Sara Gideon's use of a partially corporate-funded committee to reimburse herself for two 2016 political donations violated state law. The Maine Ethics Commission voted unanimously to assess a $500 fine against Gideon's shuttered political committee, ending a state ethics case against her. A federal complaint on the same issue looms.

Gideon has drawn the most attention for reimbursed contributions to federal causes, but the commission focused on two $250 payments to the House Democratic Campaign Committee and now-U.S. Rep. Jared Golden's state-level political committee in 2016 that were originally made under Gideon's name but were reimbursed by the political committee.

Contributing in someone else's name is illegal on the state and federal levels. A Gideon spokesperson expressed support for the decision, saying the commission "continued its tradition of fairness" and supported Gideon's attorney's position that the violations were minor.

Source: Bangor Daily News on 2020 Maine Senate race Oct 30, 2019

Susan Rice: Supports National Voter Registration Day

[Tweet from @AmbassadorRice]: Nothing is more important today than registering to vote and actually voting on Election Day. On National Voter Registration Day, it's up to us as citizens to make sure everyone we know can make their voices heard at the ballot box. Check and update your registration at http://IWillVote.com -- and tell your friends, too.
Source: Twitter posting on 2020 Maine Senate race Sep 24, 2019

Betsy Sweet: Publicly funded federal election system

Sweet said "raising a ton of money" for "negative ads" and "nibbling around the edges" on policy won't work. She floated a proposed constitutional change to create a publicly funded federal election system, limit campaigns to 12 weeks and allow only individuals to give to campaigns. "What is exciting people around this country are bold ideas like a Green New Deal," she said in reference to proposals from congressional progressives that are litmus tests in the Democratic presidential primary.
Source: Bangor Daily News on 2020 Maine Senate race Sep 16, 2019

Eric Brakey: Independent redistricting & automatic voter registration

Elections: Support nonpartisan redistricting to address charges of partisan gerrymandering?

Brakey: No position found.

King: Yes. Supported bill requiring state independent redistricting commissions.

Ringelstein: Yes. Create independent redistricting commissions.

Voting Rights: Support voting rules that prioritize preventing the possibility of fraud, even if limit access?

Brakey: Yes. Co-sponsored bill requiring government or college-issued photo ID.

King: No. Co-sponsored voting rights bill also including automatic voter registration.

Ringelstein: No. Supports automatic voter registration, Election Day registration, & fully restoring Voting Rights Act.

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Maine Senate race Nov 1, 2018

Janet Mills: Undisclosed political money is corrosive to democracy

Campaign Finance: Support Citizens United decision, allowing unlimited political donations from corporations & unions?

Mills: No. Allowing untold, undisclosed money into our politics is corrosive to democracy. Overturn Citizens United.

Moody: No position found.

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Maine Governor race Nov 1, 2018

Zak Ringelstein: Independent redistricting & automatic voter registration

Elections: Support nonpartisan redistricting to address charges of partisan gerrymandering?

Brakey: No position found.

King: Yes. Supported bill requiring state independent redistricting commissions.

Ringelstein: Yes. Create independent redistricting commissions.

Voting Rights: Support voting rules that prioritize preventing the possibility of fraud, even if limit access?

Brakey: Yes. Co-sponsored bill requiring government or college-issued photo ID.

King: No. Co-sponsored voting rights bill also including automatic voter registration.

Ringelstein: No. Supports automatic voter registration, Election Day registration, & fully restoring Voting Rights Act.

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Maine Senate race Nov 1, 2018

Zak Ringelstein: Overturn Citizens United; disclose campaign donations

Campaign Finance: Require political ads to disclose their largest funders? Position on Citizens United decision, allowing unlimited political donations from corporations & unions?

Eric Brakey: No position on Citizens United. Supported legislation to send Maine's Clean Election Act back to the voters.

Angus King: Yes, including online ads. Co-sponsored DISCLOSE Act. Pass amendment to overturn Citizens United.

Ringelstein: Yes, including online ads. Pass amendment to overturn Citizens United.

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Maine Senate race Nov 1, 2018

Zak Ringelstein: Ultra rich are buying our elected leaders & control policy

We always ask why the richest country in the world doesn't have excellent affordable universal healthcare or why tax cuts continue to be given to the wealthiest Americans. We can say once and for all that we know the reason. It is because corporations and the ultra-wealthy control policy in Washington--and this needs to end.˙Billionaires and corporations fund congressional campaigns and expect something in return: control over our elected leaders' votes.
Source: 2018 Me. Senate campaign website, RingelsteinForMaine.com Jun 26, 2018

Chris Lyons: Make voter registration easier

Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Make voter registration easier"?

A: support

Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Maine Senate candidate Mar 6, 2018

Zak Ringelstein: Protect democracy from corrupting influence of big money

I'm running for U.S. Senate because our democracy is under attack from the corrupting influence of big money. From income inequality to climate change to public education and more, issues that are critical to the future of America are being ignored because powerful people are paying our politicians to look the other way. Mainers deserve a senator who is going to fight for their interests, not the interests of campaign donors. That's why I'm refusing to accept money from corporations, PACs, or lobbyists. My only allegiance is to the people.
Source: Ballotpedia.org on 2018 Maine Senatorial campaign Feb 3, 2016

Bruce Poliquin: 12-year term limit on members of Congress

Once elected, the primary concern of long-time politicians is to use the advantages of their offices to get re-elected. They use our tax dollars to grow government programs to secure more votes in the next election. They increasingly lose touch with those they are responsible to represent. Problems grow and remain unsolved because career politicians avoid making difficult and unpopular decisions that invite criticism and might lose votes.

The best way to break this dysfunctional cycle is to limit the terms of our elected officials in Washington: 12 years in the House of Representatives and 12 years in the Senate are reasonable periods of time to get the People's work done. Term limits will encourage elected officials to do what's right instead of what's politically advantageous to get re-elected.

15 state legislatures, including Maine's, and 8 of our 10 largest cities impose term limits on their senior elected officials. It's time Washington does the same.

Source: 2014 Maine House campaign website, PoliquinForCongress.com Nov 4, 2014

Paul LePage: Investigate and report publicly on false campaign statements

Gov. Paul LePage hopes to turn the state's ethics panel into a truth squad that checks the veracity of claims made by politicians.

The plan directs the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices to investigate campaign claims following a complaint by a candidate. The panel would have to make a public statement if the claim is deemed false.

Backers of the effort, which LePage's office says is the governor's "attempt to bring civility to the process," told lawmakers that having such a check in place will encourage candidates to make fewer false claims about their opponents.

"Should there be no restraint, no limit or no consequence for lying?" said one legislator. But the ACLU of Maine said the proposal violates the constitution, arguing that courts have found that even false statements deserve First Amendment protection.

LePage's office said it believes that the lack of penalties if a claim is deemed false would allow the proposal to stand up constitutionally.

Source: A.P. in The Republic on 2014 Maine gubernatorial race Mar 26, 2014

Shenna Bellows: Funding her campaign $5 at a time from local events

71% of Mainers still don't know who she is, and she has been adamant about funding her campaign $5 at a time from local events such as the one at the Machias Grange. Passionate about local food systems and working people, the tactic may work for her. She is looking for the type of grassroots involvement that rural Maine runs on.

Saying that she would like to be the Elizabeth Warren of civil liberties she states, "You will always know where I stand and I will always listen to your opinions."

Source: Machias Valley News Observer on 2014 Maine Senate race Dec 4, 2013

Eliot Cutler: Oppose all efforts to restrict access to the ballot box

Q: Will you oppose any obstacle to voting and support promotion of greater voter participation?

A: I oppose all efforts to restrict access to the ballot box, and have been appalled to see the changes taking place across the country, moving us away from increased citizen participation in our democracy. I also believe that greater voter participation is achieved by providing voters with a political process that belongs to all of us, not just the two political parties. Our electoral process should give us broad and good choices among candidates--choices that appeal not only to the few of us who stand on the left and right ends of the spectrum, but also to most of us who occupy the center. Voters can have the kind of choices that they want and deserve, and consensus at the end of the electoral process, if we have run-offs, open primaries, or ranked choice voting. Fewer and fewer Americans identify themselves as a Republic or Democrat these days and fewer people vote in party primaries.

Source: AFL-CIO Questionnaire on 2014 Maine Gubernatorial race Oct 16, 2013

Susan Collins: Outrageous for IRS to target Tea Party groups

Q: An inspector general's report will show an IRS official has said, yes, there was extra scrutiny of groups with the words "Tea Party" or "patriot" in it. Your take?

COLLINS: This is truly outrageous. And it contributes to the profound distrust that the American people have in government. It is absolutely chilling that the IRS was singling out conservative groups for extra review. And I think that it's very disappointing that the president hasn't personally condemned this and spoken out. His spokesman has said it should be investigated, but the president needs to make crystal clear that this is totally unacceptable in America.

Q: The White House blames a small group of IRS agents.

COLLINS: I just don't buy that this was a couple rogue IRS employees. After all, groups with "progressive" in their names were not targeted similarly. If it had been just a small group of employees, then high level IRS supervisors would have rushed to make this public, and fired the employees involved.

Source: CNN SOTU 2013 interview on 2014 Maine Senate race May 12, 2013

Charlie Summers: OpEd: Pushes for voter registration, with his name on ballot

Maine Secretary of State Charlie Summers faced criticism from Democrats questioning his ability to hold one elected office while seeking another.

Only two weeks ago, Secretary of State Charlie Summers put out an official press release reminding Maine voters of the need to vote in the June primary along with information about filing an absentee ballot. Summers says he was only following a fairly perfunctory notice that has been issued by his predecessors--both GOP and Democratic. This year's Republican ballot will be a little different than those past notices, though, because Summers will be listed on it as a Republican candidate for the US Senate nomination. Democrats criticized Summers for what they said was skating dangerously close to a conflict of interest even as the secretary officially launched his Senate campaign.

But Summers was unfazed. "I can certainly come up with a scenario where if that press release didn't go out, I would be criticized for not putting it out," Summers said

Source: Maine Public Broadcasting on 2012 Maine Senate debates Mar 27, 2012

Susan Collins: Reform public financing system to get more opt-in