Mainers with disabilities, and all Mainers, should feel empowered to exercise their right to vote

by Opinion Contributor

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Molly Thompson is the Voting Access Advocate at Disability Rights Maine.

People placed under guardianship based on being diagnosed with a mental illness can vote in Maine and have been able to do so for the past 22 years. Voters’ rejection of Question 8 earlier this month does not change this fact.

In 2001, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine found that denying someone the right to vote was denying them a fundamental liberty. The court found that the provision within the Maine Constitution that automatically prohibits people under guardianship by reason of mental illness from registering to vote and from voting violated the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The court also said that this provision of the Maine Constitution violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

This ballot question would have finally aligned Maine’s source document with this decision and removed discriminatory and unenforceable language. We are disheartened that voters failed to approve it.

Let us be clear: This rejection does not change the voting rights of any person under guardianship. People under guardianship already had the right to vote and continue to have that right. This right is not in jeopardy.

Mainers with disabilities, and all voters, should feel empowered to exercise their right to vote.

In an effort to increase voting opportunities for people with disabilities and increase civic engagement, Disability Rights Maine recently formed the Maine Rev Up Coalition. The Rev Up Coalition — which stands for “Register, Educate, Vote, Use Your Power!” — is a project of the American Association of People with Disabilities. Comparable coalitions exist in 19 states and seek to increase turnout among voters with disabilities and election accessibility.

As the partner members of the Maine Rev Up Coalition, our goal is to substantially increase voter turnout among disabled voters. We will do so by addressing accessibility barriers at polling places, recruiting individuals with disabilities to become poll workers in their communities and ensuring voter education materials are accessible. Above all, we seek to center individuals with disabilities in our work. This also means we counter misinformation that may discourage disabled voters from voting.

As the state with the highest voter turnout in the country, we must do our part to ensure our elections are accessible to all community members.

If any individual or organization is interested in joining the Maine Rev Up Coalition, they can contact: mthompson@drme.org.

The Maine Rev Up Coalition is composed of representatives from the Consumer Council System of Maine, Disability Rights Maine, EqualityMaine, the League of Women Voters of Maine and Speaking Up For Us. This column is a joint statement of all parties.

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Mainers with disabilities, and all Mainers, should feel empowered to exercise their right to vote