maine literacy guide 2011

8/3/2019 Maine Literacy Guide 2011

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Easy-to-Read Voter Guide

Maine Referenum Electin: Nvember 8, 2011

Look INsIdE

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1011-14

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About This Guide

Why Vote?

Registering to Vote

How Do I Vote?

AVS & Absentee Ballots

Things to Remember

Ballot Questions

Thank You

League of

Women Voters


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LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF MAINE PO Box 863 Augusta, ME 04332-0863 Phone: 207-622-0256 Email: [email protected] Web: www.lwvme.org

PAGE2

The League of Women Voters produced this 2011 Easy-to-Read Voter

Guide. W pid d v wy 25,000 cpi i mi. Licy Vl

mi hlpd k h id y d.

th bll qi lid i h gid: Asyouwillreadthemontheballot

Easierversionofthequestion

ThereasonsforvotingYESorNO

W hv id b k h gid cc. t c h

ey--rd V gid, pl -il vid@lwv. cll

1-888-207-1839.

Quetin & cpie f thi guie

The text is online at www.lwvme.org or www.lvmaine.org.

I y hv qi wld lik cpi h gid, cll

1-800-207-8438 il vid@lwv..

t h d h ey--rd V gid y cp

towww.theiris.org/Airs/MaineAirs/htm.YoucanaskforaCDbycalling

1-800-207-1839.

Abut thi guie


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Vting i imprtantWhy vte?

Youcanhelpmakeimportantchangesinthewayyourcityandstatearerun.

thi y i rd elci. mi v will h kid

qi hi bll:

PeoplesVeto

CitizenInitiative

ConstitutionalAmendment

W hv lid h qi xcly y will h y bll.

rd p 10 l b rd elci. th bll qi

xplid p 11-14.

I cii d w, y y l b kd v cdid

localofcesortovoteonlocalissues.

I my vte private?

Yes,yourvoteisprivate.

When i Electin day?

ElectionDayisTuesday, November 8, 2011.

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Wh can vte?Youmustrstregistertovote.YoucanregistertovoteinMaineif:

Youareage17orolder.(Youhavetobe18byElectionDaytovote.)

YouareacitizenoftheUnitedStates.

YouliveinMaine.

Hw I regiter t vte?

Youmustlloutavoterregistrationcard.Theseboxesmustbelledout:

YouareaU.S.citizen

Youwillbe18yearsoldonorbeforetheElectionDay

Youmustwriteyourfulllegalname,homeaddress(notaP.O.box),dateof

bih d i.

Somepeopleneedtokeeptheiraddressprivateforsafety.Youcankeep

youraddressprivatebycontactingtheSecretaryofStatesofceat207-624-7650.

Whenyouregisterforthersttime,bringanI.D.orautilitybillthatshows

y d dd.

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PAGE 5

When can I regiter t vte?Youcanregistertovoteanytime,evenonElectionDay.

Where I regiter t vte?

Youcanregistertovote:

Bymail.Yourcompletedregistrationcardneedstobereceivedbyyour

CityClerksofcebyOctober18,2011.

Inpersonatyourtownofceorcityhallanytime,evenonElectionDay.

AtanyMotorVehiclebranchofcebyOctober11,2011.

AtvotingplacesonElectionDay.

BringanIDandproofofwhereyoulive.

What i a plitical party?

Apolitical party i p ppl wh h h id b hw

h v hld wk.

Whenyouregistertovote,youcanjoinapoliticalparty.Itisfree.Youmay

l ch y py ii.

Examplesofpoliticalpartiesinclude:Democratic,MaineGreen

Idpd, d rpblic. Youdonothavetojoinapartytovote.


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Where I g t vte? Everytownandcityhasitsownplacewherepeoplecanvote.

th clld voting places, polls, or polling places.

Callyourtownofceorcityhalltondoutwhereyoushouldgo.

(Seepage9formoreinformation.)

Votingplacesopenbetween6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. th pi i i h ll vi plc.

all vi plc cl 8:00 p.m.

What will I at the vting place? Whenyougettoyourvotingplace,youwillneedtotelltheelectionclerk

yourname.Yournamewillbeonalist.

Theelectionclerkwillgiveyouaballot.

Youwillgointoaprivatevotingboothandcompleteyourballot.

Youwillputtheballotintheballotbox.

d I nee an I.d.? Ifyouarearst-timevoter,oryouhavemoved,youshouldbring

yourI.D.andproofofyouraddress.

Dontworry.Anyonewhoiseligibletovotecannotbeturnedaway.

How Do I Vote?


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How do I fll out the ballot? Aballot i h pic pp wh y k y v.

Differenttownsandcitiesusedifferenttypesofballots.

Eachballottellsyouhowtomarkyourchoices.

Ifyouhaveaquestion,askanelectionclerk.

Checkyourballot. Youdonothavetovoteoneverything.Onlythepartsyou

v will c.

Ifyoumakeamistake,youcanaskforanewballot.

What if I cant rea the ballt?

Youcangethelp.

Afriendorarelativecanhelpyou.Yourhelperdoes

hv b v b ld h v.

Anelectionworkercanhelpyouwithyourballot. Youremployerorunionofcialcannot hlp y v.


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I there anther way t vte at thevting place?

Yes.Accessible Voting System (AVS) l y v by ph h viplc.

GotothevotingplaceandtelltheelectionclerkyouwanttouseAVS.

TheelectionclerkwillsetupanAVSphoneforyoutouse.Youwillhearthe

vi qi. V y by pi ky h ph.

AcopyofyourcompletedballotwillbefaxedtoyouattheAVSphone.

Youputyourballotintheballotbox.

d I have t g t the vting place nElectin day t vte?

No.Ifyouareregisteredtovote,youcanaskforanabsentee ballot.You

d by nvb 3, 2011.

I y k b bll nvb 3d, y cpl application.Youmustgiveareasonyoucannotgotoyourpollingplaceon

ElectionDay.Thesearetheonlyreasonsthatyoucanchoose:

(1)YouwillbeoutoftownalldayonElectionDay.

(2)Youareillordisabledandcannotleavehome.

(3)YouliveonanislandandcannotgettransportationonElectionDay.

other way t vte:

At the vting place r abentee


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What i abentee vting?

ab vi l y v h d il y b bll y w clk.

Youcancompleteanabsenteeballotinpersonatyourtownofceorcityhall.Thetownor

cityclerkmustreceiveabsenteeballotsby8:00p.m.onElectionDayforyourvotetocount.

Hw I get an abentee ballt?

Askforanabsenteeballotfromyourtown/cityhall.

RequestanabsenteeballotfromtheDivisionofElectionsat

http://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/AbsenteeBallot/index.pl

Youcanalsoaskforanabsenteeballotforanimmediatefamilymember.

Thetown/cityclerksofcewilltellyouwhoisconsideredanimmediatefamilymember.

What I with my abentee ballt?

Fillouttheballot.Remember,youdonthavetoanswereveryquestion.

Mailordeliveryourballottoyourtownorcityclerksoitisreceivedby8p.m.on

ElectionDay.

How do I fnd and contact my townr city cler? Youcanndtheaddressandphonenumberforyourtown/cityclerkat:

www.i.v//cc/lc/ic.h

Youcanalsocontact:OfceoftheSecretaryofStateDivisionofElections

101 s H si, a, me 04333-0101

Phone:207-624-7650

eil: [email protected]

Wbi: www.i.v//cc/lc/

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Things To Remember When You Vote

What if my name i nt n the litat the vting place? Theelectionclerkwillhelpyou.

Youmaybesenttoadifferentvotingplace.

Youmayneedtoregistertovote.(Seepage5formoreinformation.)

What if I nee help at thevting place?ak lci clk hlp i y hv y qi. elci clk c

helpyoulloutaballotandgiveyouanewoneifyouneedit.Theycanalso

helpyouuseAVS.Youwillnotbetheonlyonewithquestions!

Hw can I avi the crw? Gotothevotingplacewhenitislesscrowded:10:00a.m.11:30a.m.or

1:30p.m.3:30p.m.

Youcanvoteathomewithanabsenteeballot.Yourabsenteeballotmustget

toyourtownofceorcityhallbefore8:00p.m.onNovember8,2011.

Hw I vte in a referenum

electin?I hi d lci, y will v YES NO qi b:

ChangestoMainelaws

ThecreationofnewMainelaws

ChangestotheMaineConstitution

Thing t remember


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Do you want to reject the section of Chapter 399 of the Public Laws

of 2011 that requires new voters to register to vote at least two business

days prior to an election?1

Continuesthetraditionofregisteringon

andbeforeElectionDay.

Same-dayregistrationhelpbringvoters

h pll.

Morethan18,000votersregisteredon

ElectionDayduringthelastelection.

I 2008, h 49,000 v

registeredonElectionDay.

Ifyoumovetheweekbeforethe

lci, y c ill v y w

plli plc.

a YES: a NO:

Givesthetownandcityclerksmoretime

pc h ii .

Fewerpollworkersmaybeneededon

ElectionDay.

Youmanynothavetowaitsolongto

v.

Ballt quetin 1:

What thi quetin mean:Doyouwanttocontinuetoallowvoterstoregisteratanytimeincludingon

ElectionDay?

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Do you want to allow a slot machine facility at a harness racing track in

Biddeford or another community within 25 miles of Scarborough Downs,

subject to local approval, and at a harness racing track in Washington

County, with part of the prots from these facilities going to support

specic state and local programs?

2

Theremaybemorejobsandeconomic

growthintheBiddefordareaand

WashingtonCounty.

Thenewbusinesseswillpaytaxes

toBiddeford,CalaisandtheStateof

mi

TheStateofMainewillreceiveincome

fromtheslotmachinestobenet

h ci, h fd Hlhy

mi d h p.

a YES: a NO:

Thecostoftownserviceslikere

ghtersandpoliceofcersmaygoup.

Theproblemofcrimemayincrease.

Theproblemofdomesticviolencemay

ic.

Theproblemofgamblingaddictionmay

ic.

CasinosinBiddefordandCalaismay

cp wih bli cilii i h

areasofthestatesuchasBangorand

OxfordCounty.

Ballt quetin 2:

What thi quetin mean:

Doyouwanttoallowgamblingonslotmachinesatharnessracingtracksin

BiddefordandWashingtonCounty?

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Do you want to allow a casino with table games and slot machines in

Lewiston, with part of the prots going to support specic state and local

programs?3

Theremaybemorejobsandeconomic

wh i h Lwi .

Thenewbusinesswillpaytaxesto

theCityofLewistonandtheStateof

mi.

TheStateofMainewillreceive

ic h l chi

h adci riv,

revitalizedowntownsthroughout

h , pvid d l

h d bi cv

cl, wbl y, d h

p.

a YES: a NO:

Thecostoftownserviceslikere

ghtersandpoliceofcersmaygoup.

Theproblemofcrimemayincrease.

Theproblemofdomesticviolencemay

ic.

Theproblemofgamblingaddictionmay

ic.

a ci i Lwi y cp

wih bli cilii i h

ofthestate,suchasBangorandOxford

County.

Ballt quetin 3:

What thi quetin mean:

DoyouwanttoallowanewplaceinLewistonforthepublictogamblethat

couldhaveslotmachinesandtablegameslikeblackjack?

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Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to change the years

of redistricting the Maine Legislature, congressional districts and

county commissioner districts after 2013 from 2023 and every 10th year

thereafter to 2021 and every 10th year thereafter?

TheLegislaturewilldrawnewvoting

diic i h y h w

Censusdatabecomesavailable,instead

w y l. thi h

diic will bc ql i

ppli .

TheMaineConstitutionwillrequire

ll diici pl p h

Legislaturebya2/3majority.Thiswilll lwy qi pp

bothmajorparties.

a YES: a NO:

Constitutionalamendmentsarehardto

ch bc hy qi 2/3 v

oftheLegislatureandamajorityvoteof

h ppl.

Ballt quetin 4:

What thi quetin mean:DoyouwanttheLegislaturetodrawnewdistrictsfortheLegislature,

CongressandCountyCommissionerin2021insteadof2023andeveryten

yearsafter2021?

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Published in 2011 by:

L W V mi, www.lwv.

Project Coordinator:SarahRobinson,SCRContractServices

www.cccvic.c

League of Women Voters of Maine Volunteers:

MarthaDickinson,PollyFerguson,AnnLuther,BarbaraMcDade,Anne

Schink,ColleenTucker,SarahWaltonandJillWard

Readability: Khy Kili dl ri & abbi eby tLicy Vl mi, www.lvi., 1-800-322-5455

Guide Design, Layout and Production:

DanielleSilva,LiteracyVolunteersofGreaterSaco-Biddeford

Donors:

L W V mi edci fd

Guide Distribution: thk y ll p d vl,

icldi dl dci p d pblic libi c mi.

Additional Thanks:

JimPhippsandthestaffatTheIrisNetworkforstoringguidesandrecordingh di vi h mi aIrs p.

Printing:

AlliancePress

ThankYouThan yu

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League of Women Voters of Maine

207-622-0256www.lwvme.org

TheLeagueofWomenVotersofMaineisanonpartisanpoliticalorganization

encouraginginformedandactiveparticipationingovernment.Itinuences

pblic plicy hh dci d dvccy. W v pp pp

y pliicl py cdid.

LWVMEistheorganizationwherehands-onworktosafeguarddemocracy

leadstocivicimprovement!WehavemembersthroughoutthestateofMaine,

withlocalchaptersinthePortlandarea,inBath/Brunswick,andin

HancockCounty.

Join the League of Women Voters of Maine!

sic w id h ih v i 1920, w hv dcd v

registerandvote.Weinviteyoutobecomeapartofthisorganization,whichis

ich i hiy d ccplih.

th L W V mi i h pcd p

directlyinvolvedinkeepingcitizensengagedinlocal,state,andnational

v.

Joinonlineatwww.lwvme.org/join.html.Ormailyourcontactinformationand

chck $55 bhip, $82.50 w b h

householdto:LeagueofWomenVotersofMaine,POBox863,Augusta,ME

04332-0863.

EASY-TO-READ VOTER GUIDE

maine literacy guide 2011

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