Maine Legislature to Hear Bills Protecting Elections

AUGUSTA, Maine (WAGM) -

On the anniversary of the attacks on the National Capitol, many reflect on how divided the American people have become. In an era of political discourse and threats of election fraud, NewsSource8′s Brian Bouchard looks at how the State of Maine answered the Nation’s call for help, and how the state is moving forward.

January 6th, 2021 will stay in the minds of the American public for many years to come. In the days following the attack on the Nations Capital, National Guard units from all 50 states deployed to Washington D.C. to provide security leading up to and following President Biden’s Inauguration.

“The year began with us sending 2 waves of soldiers to our Nation’s Capital, alongside 25,000 of our brothers and sisters from across the country, to ensure the peaceful transition of power, one of the core tenants of our democracy.” - MAJ Carl Lamb – Public Affairs Officer, Maine National Guard

And the National Guard remained in Washington up until May when the deployment officially ended. In the following months, stories of campaign, political party, and election fraud across the country were uncovered, highlighting a lack of oversight and security in the election process.

“In Arizona there were concerns by some questioning legitimacy of the results of Maricopa County. What they did is they turned over the ballots and the equipment to a firm called CyberNinja that had a very partisan agenda. We saw in Colorado, similarly a clerk going rouge and turning over her voting machine equipment to partisan operatives and unfortunately that means it’s ruined for everyone.” - Shenna Bellows – Secretary of State, Maine

She went on to recall more examples of election fraud and violence against election workers, including at least 2 violent threats against election workers in Maine. In order to ensure that Maine’s elections remain safe and secure, 2 bills are being proposed during this legislative session in Augusta. The bills are LD1821 “An Act To Make Interfering with an Election Official a Class C Crime”, and LD 1779 “An Act To Protect Election Integrity by Regulating Possession of Ballots and Voting Machines and Devices”.

“A bill by representative Bruce White, it is a bipartisan piece of legislation to make it a crime to threaten an election worker or attempt to disrupt an election through a violent activity. The second bill is to protect the integrity of ballots and voting equipment.” says Bellows.

And while these bills may not prevent anyone from attempting nefarious acts on Maine’s elections, they will certainly outline the consequences if anyone does.

Brian Bouchard, NewsSource8

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