Background
The Committee on Judiciary will hold a Public Hearing on Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at 1:00 PM at
📍 State House, Room 438, Augusta, to discuss LD 492, "RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine to Provide for Parental Rights."
If you want to read LD 492, click here: https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?PID=1456&snum=132&paper=&paperld=l&ld=492
If you pick through the left side menu, you can find all kinds of good info!
In lieu of personally testifying in support of this bill, you may testify via Zoom, or by online testimony using the following link: https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/. Do this prior to the public hearing.
See below for EVERYTHING you're going to need to get this done, including testimony!
🔹 Steps to submit testimony online:
1️⃣ Click: "Public Hearing".
2️⃣ Choose a committee: "Judiciary" - using the drop-down menu.
3️⃣ Choose date: March 4, 2025, 1:00 PM - using the drop-down menu.
4️⃣ Click: LD 492
5️⃣ Enter your testimony in the box (or click the checkbox if you want to testify via Zoom).
6️⃣ Complete your contact information.
7️⃣ Click: "I'm not a robot"
8️⃣ Click: "Submit/Register".
Action Time-Window
⚠️ Please consider taking action by March 2, 2025.
Template
The below is a community member's testimony. Feel free to use it, something of your own, or something as simple as "I support LD 492, and "it ought to pass." To get other wording ideas, as online testimony is submitted for this bill, you can see it here: https://legislature.maine.gov/ctl/JUD/03-04-2025?panel=2&time=0&sortdir=0&sortby=2 after clicking on the bill number.
I support LD 718 “An Act to Require Municipal Clerks to Issue Absentee Ballots Only to Residents of That Municipality and to Eliminate Ongoing Absentee Voter Status.”
As I understand it, this bill requires a municipal clerk to issue an absentee ballot only to a person who is registered to vote in that municipality, including the voter and an immediate family member or a 3rd person designated by the voter to deliver the ballot on the voter's behalf. It also repeals the provisions allowing for application for ongoing absentee voter status.
This is common sense legislation. I would assume people who weren’t supposed to receive a ballot, did. Why wouldn’t we want this sort of ballot restriction? Additionally, current practice allows for those age 65 or older or, who self-identifies as having a disability, can complete an application for an “ongoing absentee ballot status” to have a ballot sent to them forever. This makes zero sense. Voter status can change. People move, people die, people change parties. Who gets that ongoing supplied ballot if the voter moves or dies?
Election/voter integrity has been suspect in past elections. Why would any government/municipality be afraid of transparency? This bill, once enacted into law, would help to restore registered voters’ faith in our election integrity.
Again, I support LD 718 “An Act to Require Municipal Clerks to Issue Absentee Ballots Only to Residents of That Municipality and to Eliminate Ongoing Absentee Voter Status”, and it ought to pass.
Credit for the above goes to our community member Danny (@DannyEmerson61) from the South Berwick Republican Committee (@BerwickSouth).
Disclaimer
A community member has shared this personal template for those who wish to express their views on LD 492. This template is not an official PTP position, and using it is entirely up to you. Pine Tree Patriots encourages civic participation but does not endorse or support specific actions or policies. Please remember this is an individual initiative.
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