The state of Maine has taken an important step towards making voting more accessible. A new bill signed last week by the state’s governor, Janet Mills (D), expands students voter ID options. This Legislation Alert is from Democracy Docket:

Gov. Janet Mills (D) signed a bill into law last week to allow student IDs as valid forms of identification when registering to vote in Maine. House Bill 1575 was advanced by Democrats and adds student IDs from authorized colleges in the state, both public and private, to the short list of acceptable ID forms that voters can use when registering to vote. The bill also requires municipalities to publicly post information from the Maine Secretary of State about which voters are eligible to request an absentee ballot after the deadline has passed, to ensure that voters are educated about their options. Finally, it allows the Secretary of State to establish new rules about poll watchers and partisan workers present at polling locations. 

Rep. Jay McCreight (D), who proposed HB 1575, said it “defends voting rights and helps more Maine voters understand the election process” at a time when many state legislatures are working to restrict ballot access. 

Read HB 1575 here.

Also, see more on the subject at the Democracy Chronicles Voter ID archive of articles or even seen our section on American Democracy.