The First Circuit is upholding a preliminary injunction in Maine. There is a mandate that only residents of Maine who are registered to vote there can gather signatures for ballot proposals. This likely violates the First Amendment. There are reportedly only six licensed petition circulators in the entire state. The state law substantially restricts Maine residents’ capacity to place referendums on the ballot. This is according to the Boston-based appeals court. In a 63-page opinion, Chief U.S. Circuit Judge David Barron stated that the law prohibits individuals who want to propose legislation from reaching into a pool of more than 250 million individuals of voting age to aid in the collection of signatures. Also to engage in face-to-face communication designed to bring about political change that accompanies that collection of signatures. According to Obama appointee Barron, the First Amendment probably forbids a state rule. It dramatically limits the number of persons, both…

Gov. Janet Mills has said she would veto any attempts to erect barriers to women’s access to the surgery. Democrats promptly vowed to fight any moves to enact limits on abortions on Friday.State Republican officials, on the other hand, carefully skirted the subject. They are still expressing support for states’ rights to impose restrictions however whilst not expressing immediate intentions to do so. Access to the procedure won’t change right away in Maine as a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling. But the political discussion leading up to the state’s general election in November, when voters will select a governor and all of the legislators, will undoubtedly be influenced. It became evident on Friday that Republicans leaders don’t think Mainers will accept moves to restrict access. Democrats are still keen to organize voters concerned about abortion rights, however.Dr Demi Kouzounas from the Maine Republican Party stated in a written statement…

An announcement by Democrats claims that they have submitted enough signatures to put certain measures before Portland voters in November. The city’s ballot is set to be dominated by a number of progressive economic initiatives; including one that would raise the minimum wage to $18 an hour. The Maine chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America submitted 2,000 signatures for each of its four questions.  That represents a rapid turnaround for a campaign that was just begun earlier this month. It is a comfortable buffer above the 1,500 signatures required to place a question on the ballot. According to the city clerk’s office, the city is now finishing up the signature counts. The four questions centered on housing, salaries, and tourism get to the heart of the economic issues Portland has been dealing with recently. Firm proponents of business are already getting ready to vote against the referendums.…

Since the last gubernatorial election, Maine has added nearly 60,000 new registered voters on the internet. This is a voting group sizable enough to influence this fall’s contest between Gov. Janet Mills and former Gov. Paul LePage.During that time, Democrats gained almost twice as many new voters as Republicans. However, information from the Maine secretary of state’s office reveals a growing geographic polarization of Maine voters. In advance of the governor’s contest in November, it paints the landscape in the clearest light yet. The steep fall in voters not affiliated with a major party since just four years ago is notable. In Maine, only 32% of registered voters are not currently enrolled, down from about 37% ten years ago. In a state where two independent governors have been elected, that segment of voters has had a significant role in shaping the political identity for decades.Given…