I was on the phone with the Auburn Town Hall again this week. I needed information on where exactly to dispose of 40-volt batteries. Here in Auburn, as with many Maine municipalities, such calls are routed through the town clerk’s office, where my questions are invariably answered quickly and factually.

There are people in Maine who don’t trust town clerk staff here in Auburn, or their counterparts across the state. The proof is a citizen’s petition on the November 2025 ballot: “An Act to Require an Individual to Present Photographic Identification for the Purpose of Voting.” Now, we can debate the need to present ID at the ballot box. But the breadth of this bill reveals the petitioners’ true intentions. For example, if passed, this measure would require a two-person “bipartisan” team to check ballot boxes, instead of the clerk or a trusted member of their staff. It will prohibit cities and towns from including return postage on absentee ballots, even if taxpayers vote to fund that.

I could go on, but proponents of this bill clearly want fewer people voting, and they’re willing to trample on the rights of those who vote absentee (the elderly and infirm) in order to suppress turnout. In the process, they’re determined to sow partisan distrust with town clerks offices across the state — and our voting process generally. Plain and simple, it’s a cynical attempt to destabilize our state and subvert the will of Maine voters. I urge people to vote “No” in November.

Hal Phillips
Auburn