Maine is currently among 15 states that does not require a voter to present identification while at the polls. (Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
A citizen ballot initiative launched by a local conservative political action committee is aiming to put a voter identification law on Maine’s ballot next year, as the campaign said it has enough signatures after petitioning on Election Day.
While the signatures still must be submitted to the Maine Department of the Secretary of State to be reviewed and certified, Alex Titcomb, the lead petitioner, said 631 volunteers collected more than 165,000 signatures from registered Maine voters, providing a large cushion for the 67,682 needed to get on the ballot (which is based on the state’s requirement of having 10% of the total votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election).
“It’s what happens when you get passionate volunteers collecting signatures,” Titcomb said.
In April, The Dinner Table PAC — founded by Titcomb alongwith state Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn) in 2021, with a mission to create a conservative majority in the Maine House of Representatives — launched Voter ID for ME. According to the campaign site, Voter ID for ME raised $26,340 to help with signature gathering, which started during the June presidential primary.
The citizen-led ballot initiative seeks to require voters to show identification at the polls. Maine requires identification and proof of residency in order to register to vote but is among 15 states that do not require voters to present identification while at the polls.
If the campaign meets the signature requirement after the certification process, the Maine Legislature will consider the proposal as legislation.
Lawmakers can enact the law directly. Or, the proposal will go to the voters if the Legislature offers a competing measure, the governor vetoes it, or the Legislature rejects or doesn’t act on it .
Republican lawmakers in Maine have previously tried to pass voter ID laws through the state Legislature but have been blocked by the Democratic majority. That majority remains after the Nov. 5 election, though with slimmer margins.
These voter ID efforts in Maine follow a national trend from Republicans pushing for such requirements, amid conflicting research on their impact.
Supporters of voter ID laws argue they’ll decrease the risk of fraud and increase confidence in election results. Meanwhile, opponents argue voter ID requirements block legitimate voters from casting ballots, create anti-immigrant sentiment and feed an unfounded fear of widespread voter fraud.
In the lead up to the Nov. 5 election, the conservative website the Maine Wire posted unsubstantiated claims about non-citizen voting, and Maine Senate Republicans pointed to the accusations when reiterating their call for a state voter ID law.
“To suggest policy solutions for a problem that they refuse to provide evidence to substantiate is highly questionable,” Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows told Maine Morning Star at the time. “We cannot let unsubstantiated accusations deny eligible voters their freedom to cast a ballot.”
Bellows also previously told Maine Morning Star her office “will always administer the constitutionally protected citizen’s initiative process fairly,” but it has historically opposed proposals requiring voters to show certain documents to cast ballots. Voter ID requirements, she said, could “disproportionately impact rural residents, seniors, people with disabilities, the unhoused, students and voters of color.”
Some Maine students raised concern about voter ID requirements restricting their voting rights after seeing Voter ID for ME volunteers collecting signatures this fall. University of Southern Maine senior Emilia Toth said she advised her peers not to sign the petition.
“It’s a really misleading campaign, because they make it seem like a no-brainer, like, ‘Yeah, you should show ID to be able to vote,’” Toth said. “But the issue is that it would make certain IDs invalid as a type of voter ID.”
Student IDs wouldn’t be considered an acceptable form of identification.
Despite these concerns, more than 165,000 Mainers are initially signaling they would support this type of law being considered by voters. With signature gathering complete, Titcomb said the group’s efforts will turn to waging a campaign to get Mainers to vote “yes.”
“That will include some education, some persuasion,” Titcomb said, “but at the end of the day, with a popular issue like this, it’s just getting folks out to vote will be the key.”
The campaign plans to submit their signatures by the filing deadline for appearing on the November 2025 ballot, which is January 23, and Titcomb said aiming for next year’s ballot is a strategic choice.
“Getting a statewide ballot question on an off-year election will increase participation, hopefully, that’s part of the goal,” Titcomb said. “… It’s also easier to accomplish victory in smaller turnout elections — rather than doing it in 2026 that would increase the costs for the ballot campaign because you’ll be competing with a lot of other campaigns, the governor’s race for sure, and the U.S. Senate race is going to be massive.”
Another citizen ballot campaign for a gun control measure was also collecting signatures on Nov. 5. That law could also appear on next November’s ballot, as that campaign is nearing the signature total needed, though they have yet to decide which ballot to aim for.
Eesha Pendharkar contributed to this reporting.
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