House Democrats reject photo ID mandate for Maine voters

Source: Bangor Daily News

AUGUSTA, Maine — The prospect of requiring voters in Maine to show photo identification before receiving a ballot suffered what could be a fatal blow Tuesday when Democrats in the House of Representatives voted against it.

LD 197, which failed in a 82-66 vote Monday, is similar to several attempts in the Maine Legislature in recent years to implement a voter ID law. All of the House Democrats voted against the bill, along with the four independents and two Republicans, Rep. Jonathan Kinney, R-Limington, and Rep. John Joseph Picchiotti, R-Fairfield.

The measure passed in the Senate last week by an 18-17 vote.

As in past years, Tuesday’s debate centered on whether requiring photo identification would help reduce voter fraud, whether voter fraud actually exists and whether the measure is merely a veiled attempt to suppress voting in certain blocs, such as young people and senior citizens.

Read more: http://bangordailynews.com/2015/05/05/politics/house-democrats-reject-photo-id-mandate-for-maine-voters/