A new report gives Maine high marks for the overall health of democracy and civic engagement in the state, except in county-level government.
The report, published every two years by Democracy Maine — an umbrella organization that includes the League of Women Voters of Maine, Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, and Maine Students Vote — finds Maine leads the nation in voter turnout and has made strides in gender representation.
But on the other hand, it finds that county governments suffer from a "catastrophic lack of visibility" as many voters are unaware of how they work and which services they provide.
Communications Director Jen Lancaster said county-level races are often uncontested and fly under the radar, even though county governments oversee emergency management, law enforcement, and other critical services.
"It's really easy to just sign up to run as a county commissioner, and then you get into that role very easily. I think the general public may not fully understand how their county government serves them," she said. "County government can impact their daily lives in so many ways that they may not realize."
Lancaster said her group would like to see Maine's clean elections law extended to county races to encourage more candidates to seek local office.
