A politically vibrant Maine requires same-day registration

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Half-Assed

A politically vibrant Maine requires same-day registration

This piece represents the opinion of the author:

Judah Isseroff

Columnist

October 21, 2011

In 1973, Maine held its first election that permitted same-day registration. For the first time in the state's history, citizens were able to make their way over to the polling booth, register, and then vote—all in one fell swoop.

Now, 38 years later, at the behest of Maine's secretary of state, the Maine State Legislature has passed a bill entitled LD 1376 that would revoke this nearly four-decade-old privilege.

That is why this article—endorsed by the leadership of both the Bowdoin College Republicans (BCR) and the Bowdoin College Democrats (BCD)—is advocating that you vote "yes" on Question 1 on November 8.

One of the underappreciated privileges of attending college in Maine, especially as an out-of-state resident, is that every student has the opportunity to become engaged in the state's political process.

This is due in large part to the fact that Maine has a relatively small population. The political arena is correspondingly small, and thus, it is ridiculously easy to make contacts and meet candidates in the state's political community.

For instance, the BCD met several of the democratic primary candidates for governor in 2010, including the eventual nominee.

The BCR also met with three of the candidates for the gubernatorial race, including the eventual victor, Paul LePage.

Such intimate proximity to the electoral process makes our ordinarily abstract relation to politics far more concrete.

We have a tremendous opportunity to learn about candidates for office in a manner that is exceedingly more personal than the conventional process, which takes place through headlines and sound bites.

I preface my argument in favor of same-day registration with this glowing account of the political opportunities available at Bowdoin because it is precisely these opportunities that are being attacked by the movement to undo same-day registration.

As made obvious by the joint endorsement of this article's support for a "yes" vote on Question 1, the issue of increased political participation ought not be a matter of partisan politics.

In a country where the democratic will is sacrosanct, it seems sacrilegious to deliberately disenfranchise a sizable contingent of this state's citizens. And that is exactly what a repeal of same-day registration will do.

In 2008, nearly 50,000 voters cast a ballot in Maine after registering to vote that very same day.

A number of those were out-of-state students who must re-register each year after moving from one dormitory to another, which already makes the process ardous.

To repeal same-day registration is to endanger the political participation of 50,000 Mainers (a number that certainly is not solely comprised of students) in presidential election years. Moreover, it also would eradicate the remarkable political opportunities that we receive as students in Maine.

While we are in school, we perpetually hear about Bowdoin's lusty exhortation to involve ourselves in the community outside of campus. As a result (and certainly partly of our own volition), hundreds of students acquaint themselves with the Town of Brunswick and the State of Maine by participating in community service projects, religious congregations, or by taking advantage of Maine's natural beauty and outdoor offerings.

It seems ridiculous that our awareness of the world outside of Bowdoin should not include the world of politics.

Bowdoin students are on campus for nearly nine months of the year, some for even longer.

We live in a state with a tremendously intimate political community. That community includes Bowdoin alums that are current state legislators, former candidates for governor, and former U.S. senators.

It is a tradition at Bowdoin to be politically active, and we should enthusiastically inherit that legacy and take advantage of Maine's political community and its progressive election laws.

This November 8, there will be another election. At stake in this election will not be the presidency, congressional seats, or even a seat in the State House in Augusta.

Rather, the principle of student enfranchisement is on the chopping block. I, along with the leaders of the BCD and BCR, urge you to take this election seriously.

There will be vans running to the polls all day, and this year, for the 39th and hopefully not final time, Mainers will be able to register to vote at the polls on Election Day.

On the ballot this year, Question 1 reads: "Do you want to reject the section of Chapter 399 of the Public Laws of 2011 that requires new voters to register to vote at least two business days prior to an election?"

We urge you to vote yes.

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