{"id":2506834,"date":"2025-11-05T00:55:01","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T05:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/maine-voters-shoot-down-voter-id-requirement\/"},"modified":"2025-11-05T00:56:40","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T05:56:40","slug":"maine-voters-shoot-down-voter-id-requirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/maine-voters-shoot-down-voter-id-requirement\/","title":{"rendered":"Maine Voters Shoot Down Voter ID Requirement"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmaine-voters-shoot-down-voter-id-requirement%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2506834&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Maine voters recently rejected a ballot measure that would have required photo identification to vote, along with other election-related reforms such as limiting ballot drop boxes and requiring written applications for mail-in ballots. According to the New York Times, about 63.4 percent opposed the measure, while 36.6 percent supported it. Critics, including a lawsuit against Maine&#8217;s Secretary of State shenna Bellows, argued that the ballot language was confusing and misleading. The article highlights that voter ID laws remain popular nationwide, supported by major polls showing strong public approval, despite opposition from Democrats and some media outlets who claim such laws suppress minority voters.evidence from states like Georgia and Texas suggests that election integrity measures, including voter ID requirements, do not hinder voter participation and may actually improve the voting process. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kirks-very-direct-impact-on-youth-will-carry-forward-his-work-zito\/\" title=\"Kirk&#039;s &#039;very direct impact&#039; on youth will carry forward his work: Zito\">article underscores ongoing debates<\/a> over election security and integrity in the U.S. political landscape.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Voter_ID.JPG\">MarkBuckawicki\/ Wikimedia Commons <\/a> \/<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/publicdomain\/zero\/1.0\/deed.en\">Public Domain<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/11\/05\/maine-voters-shoot-down-voter-id-requirement\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Maine%20Voters%20Shoot%20Down%20Voter%20ID%20Requirement&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/11\/05\/maine-voters-shoot-down-voter-id-requirement\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Maine%20Voters%20Shoot%20Down%20Voter%20ID%20Requirement&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/11\/05\/maine-voters-shoot-down-voter-id-requirement\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/11\/05\/maine-voters-shoot-down-voter-id-requirement\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Maine%20Voters%20Shoot%20Down%20Voter%20ID%20Requirement&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/11\/05\/maine-voters-shoot-down-voter-id-requirement\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Maine voters voted down a proposition that would have required voters to present photo identification in order to vote.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2025\/11\/04\/us\/elections\/results-maine-question-1-new-voting-restrictions.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According to the New York Times<\/a>, the proposed requirement is projected to fail, with 63.4 percent of voters voting against the measure, only 36.6 percent voting in favor, and 78 percent of the votes recorded at the time of publication.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1575258534\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/10\/23\/here-are-the-major-races-and-ballot-measures-in-next-months-elections-you-need-to-know-about\/\">described<\/a> by The Federalist&rsquo;s Shawn Fleetwood, Maine Question 1 would &ldquo;require all eligible voters to provide an acceptable form of photo identification for voting in person and by mail.&rdquo;  The proposition also included other election integrity <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Maine_Question_1,_Require_Voter_Photo_ID_and_Change_Absentee_Ballot_and_Drop_Box_Rules_Initiative_(2025)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reforms<\/a>, such as limiting the number of ballot drop boxes to one per locality and mandating that voters submit a written application to receive a mail-in ballot.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, as the Federalist previously reported, a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/13\/lawsuit-maine-elections-chief-used-misleading-language-in-voter-id-ballot-initiative\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lawsuit<\/a> recently brought against Maine&rsquo;s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows by a group of Maine citizens argued that the ballot question was made &ldquo;deliberately confusing&rdquo; and used &ldquo;vague terminology &hellip; and technical language&rdquo; that was &ldquo;likely to be misunderstood by the average voter.&rdquo; As Fleetwood noted, plaintiffs also highlighted &ldquo;past examples of Bellows&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.md\/2gCP7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voicing opposition<\/a>&nbsp;to the initiative&rsquo;s provisions and voter ID requirements in general.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The ballot question read: <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>Do you want to change Maine election laws to eliminate two days of absentee voting, prohibit requests for absentee ballots by phone or family members, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/suit-maine-elections-chief-drafted-misleading-voter-id-initiative\/\" title=\"Suit: Maine ...s Chief Drafted &#039;Misleading&#039; ... Initiative\">end ongoing absentee voter status<\/a> for seniors and people with disabilities, ban prepaid postage on absentee ballot return envelopes, limit the number of drop boxes, require voters to show certain photo ID before voting, and make other changes to our elections?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Perhaps Bellows&rsquo; allegedly misleading framing is unsurprising given that Democrats and their corporate media allies run endless smear campaigns against commonsense election integrity measures like voter ID.<\/p>\n<p>For example, Democrats spent weeks waging a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/04\/09\/bidens-jim-crow-label-for-georgia-election-laws-is-insane-heres-why\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">campaign<\/a> against states like Georgia for enacting election reforms, including voter ID requirements, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/03\/25\/us\/politics\/georgia-voting-law-republicans.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claiming<\/a> such measures amounted to &ldquo;Jim Crow 2.0&rdquo; and &ldquo;racism.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>MSNBC&rsquo;s Ja&rsquo;han Jones&nbsp;claimed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/the-reidout\/reidout-blog\/voting-rights-lawsuits-republicans-biden-rcna149620\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in<\/a>&nbsp;April of 2024 that election integrity laws, like voter ID laws, are &ldquo;classic&rdquo; examples of &ldquo;voter suppression tactics that have been denounced by activists for their disproportionate impact on nonwhite voters.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>CNN&rsquo;s Fredreka Schouten&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/05\/17\/politics\/voting-restrictions-elections-brennan-report\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fearmongered<\/a>&nbsp;in May of 2024 that &ldquo;voting &hellip; will be harder than it was four years ago,&rdquo; peddling claims that &ldquo;strict voter ID&rdquo; was partially to blame.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the barrage of attacks, voter ID laws are extremely popular nationwide, with a 2024 Gallup <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/652523\/americans-endorse-early-voting-voter-verification.aspx\">poll<\/a> finding 84 percent of Americans support requiring voters to show photo ID &ldquo;at their voting place in order to vote.&rdquo; A 2024 Pew <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/politics\/2024\/02\/07\/bipartisan-support-for-early-in-person-voting-voter-id-election-day-national-holiday\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">study<\/a> also found 81 percent of Americans favor requiring &ldquo;all voters to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-announces-plan-for-voter-id-executive-order-no-exceptions\/\" title=\"Trump Announces Plan for ... Executive Order: &#039;No Exceptions!&#039;\">show government-issued photo identification<\/a> to vote.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>What&rsquo;s more, as The Federalist <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/11\/04\/exclusive-texas-georgia-election-data-shatters-democrats-voter-id-lies\/\">reported<\/a> last year, election data from Texas and Georgia shattered the &ldquo;narrative that requiring eligible electors to provide ID when voting by mail &lsquo;suppresses&rsquo; their ability to participate in the electoral process.&rdquo; In Georgia specifically, an analysis from the Honest Election Project revealed how, after the state adopted its election integrity law in 2021, &ldquo;[r]ejection rates for mail ballots&rdquo; in the May 2022 primary &ldquo;actually decreased,&rdquo; and the state experienced &ldquo;&lsquo;incredible&rsquo; voter turnout for that election.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The rejection rates in both Georgia and Texas reflect that efforts to improve voting by mail through <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >common sense election integrity protections<\/a> are worthwhile endeavors,&rdquo; the analysis concluded.<\/p>\n<p>This seems to line up with voter <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/16\/record-voter-turnout-wrecks-democrats-jim-crow-2-0-lies-about-georgia-election-integrity-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">experience<\/a> as well. In 2022,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2022\/05\/21\/voting-is-surging-georgia-despite-controversial-new-election-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Washington Post<\/a>&nbsp;interviewed 70-year-old Patsy Reid, a black woman, who said she was shocked at just how easy it was to vote during the 2022 Georgia primaries after the left tried to convince her that Republicans would &ldquo;deter us in any way possible&rdquo; from voting.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I had heard that they were going to try to deter us in any way possible because of the fact that we didn&rsquo;t go Republican on the last election, when Trump didn&rsquo;t win,&rdquo; Reid said. &ldquo;To go in there and vote as easily as I did and to be treated with the respect that I knew I deserved as an American citizen &mdash; I was really thrown back.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Brianna Lyman<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/briannalyman2\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@briannalyman2<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/briannalyman\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/corporate-media\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">corporate media<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/democrats\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Democrats<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/election-integrity\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">election integrity<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/election-reform\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">election reform<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/election-security\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">election security<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/elections\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/georgia\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Georgia<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/maine\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Maine<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/shenna-bellows\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Shenna Bellows<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/texas\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Texas<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/voter-id\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">voter ID<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Maine voters rejected a photo ID voting requirement proposal<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2506835,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Voter_ID-2-e1762312212508.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[33739,9148,34222,66510,32570],"class_list":["post-2506834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-election-law","tag-maine","tag-voter-id","tag-voter-policy","tag-voting-rights"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Voter_ID-2-e1762312212508.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2506834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2506834"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2506834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2506838,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2506834\/revisions\/2506838"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2506835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2506834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2506834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2506834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}