Maine election officials say turnout has been strong across the state today as voters weigh in on two hotly contested referendum questions. A handful of local issues are also drawing people to the polls.
Question 1 on the ballot proposes sweeping changes to the state's voting rules, such as requiring voter ID and restricting absentee voting, something which more than 40% of Maine voters did in the previous election.
In Bath, Dusty Nelson voted no on 1, to keep the state's current election laws in place.
"I think in Maine, I looked it up, and in the last 50 years, they found three cases of voter fraud. So to suggest that by not showing an ID is creating some sort of a chaotic situation, I think is really misleading," Nelson said.
But in Windham, Dan Walker said he supports stricter voting rules.
"I think elections need to be cleaned up a little bit. I'm not not totally satisfied with the wording of the question, but overall, I just think it needs to be tidied up a bit," Walker said.
In Biddeford, Jack Fowler said he supports requiring a photo ID to vote in Maine.
"Put it this way, I just dropped my wife off at Logan Airport at 5 a.m. and she cannot get on that Delta Flight without a photo ID," Fowler said. "I think it makes sense for our most precious right here in America."
Question 2, meanwhile, would create a "red flag" law that would make it easier for family or household members and law enforcement to petition a court to take guns away from people deemed dangerous to themselves or others.
The issue was brought into focus after the Lewiston mass shooting. Supporters say a red flag law might have stopped the shooter from carrying out his attacks.
Raymond voter Alice Ruvane said she voted in favor.
"When people are troubled, if they have a weapon at hand, it's, it's going to, you know, be an easy route for them to either hurt themselves or others," Ruvane said.
Maine currently has a yellow-flag law that requires law enforcement officers to first take a person into custody and then consult with a mental health professional before someone's guns can be taken away.
Maine's public safety commissioner argues that because a person has already been taken into custody, it's a better way to keep members of law enforcement safe. The Sportsmen's Alliance of Maine also opposes Question2, saying the yellow-flag law has proven effective. And the group also shares the view of a Raymond voter who identified himself as Lawrence who said he's worried a red flag law would make it too easy to take away guns.
"I don't want to my ex-wife calling, and you know, and saying, 'He's got a gun.' Stupid things like that," he said.
If Question 2 passes, Maine's yellow flag law will be kept on the books.
Both referendum questions appear to be generating strong interest. During a midmorning stop at the Windham High School polling station, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said the steady stream of voters here reflects a statewide trend
"Turnout is really strong," Bellows said. "For an off year, we saw over 145,000 absentee ballots requested already."
Anyone who has not yet turned in an absentee ballot, she said, can drop it off at their polling station or their town's ballot drop box.
Voters are also deciding several contentious local issues, including a third vote on the school budget in Kennebunk and a proposal in Portland to raise the minimum wage to $19 an hour.
Polls are open statewide until 8 p.m.
