Thread: ME Bill would let non-citizens of US vote in local election

Originally Posted by vortex

Do legal American criminals sitting in prison get to vote? Last time I looked they could not until they had served their sentences and were reinstituted into the voter rolls legally.

Vortex, I totally forgot about this one!

Originally Posted by vortex

Our forefathers fought with their lives to make this country, and now we are giving everything we hold sacred to whomever wanders in here.

With me, you're preaching to the choir.

Thanks for the social studies reminder. I think that many adult Americans, including myself, need a refresher course on this stuff too. Everyone also needs to be reminded of the word Sovereignty.

Originally Posted by WorriedAmerican

Here's another updated story on the issue.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story ... 8&ac=PHnws

Voting bill constitutional

State House: Non-citizens already have some voting rights in other states.
By BETH QUIMBY, Staff Writer March 28, 2009
The sponsor of a bill that would allow people who are not U.S. citizens to vote in municipal elections said he is confident his proposal is constitutional.

State Sen. Justin Alfond, D-Portland, said he is getting both positive and negative response to his proposal, and said those who contend that the Maine Constitution would block the measure are incorrect.
The bill, LD 1195, is aimed at allowing non-citizen immigrants to vote on local issues. Proponents say the measure would encourage immigrants to become more active in their communities, giving them more incentive to pursue U.S. citizenship.

Critics say that voting should be reserved for U.S. citizens who have the language skills and knowledge to make informed choices.

Some election-law experts and legal scholars say the proposal could pass constitutional muster.

Cabanne Howard, assistant professor at the University of Maine School of Law in Portland, said the U.S. Constitution "surprisingly" covers voter eligibility only in federal elections.

The Maine Constitution addresses voter eligibility for state elections, and state law now requires all voters, at both the municipal and state level, to be U.S. citizens. However, any new law redefining voter eligibility would supersede current laws, officials said.

Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said he sees nothing unconstitutional about the proposal, as long as the voting system set up by the municipality is totally separate from the state and federal process.
Municipalities already are in charge of their own elections, he said. They produce their own ballots and conduct their own recounts.

"It is already a separate process. This proposal creates nothing new," said Dunlap.

Maine Deputy Attorney General Linda Pistner said language in the proposed bill needs to make a change in law clear to avoid any problems.

Measures to give non-citizens some voting rights have become more common across the country. In Maryland, for instance, where the state constitution requires U.S. citizenship for state-level elections, municipalities governed by municipal charters may allow non-U.S. citizens to vote in local elections.

A half-dozen Maryland municipalities have done just that.

Many of the details of Alfond's measure are being left to the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee to hammer out. Alfond said his idea is have the measure apply only to non-citizens here legally, and said it would be up to each municipality's governing body to decide whether non-citizens could vote.

Alfond said he's not surprised his proposal has sparked so much response.

"I am excited to have this discussion with my peers in Augusta, and if we all choose this as something to move forward, it will be up to municipalities to have their own discussions about how we look at Maine's diversity," he said.

Staff Writer Beth Quimby can be contacted at 791-6363 or at:

bquimby@pressherald.com

It NEVER ceases to amaze me!!!

EVERY single damned time, any move is made to protect the integrity of this country, rights reserved for American citizens.....anything at all.......it is criticized and/or struck down as being "UnConstitutional"

But, damn it, let anything come up designed to DESTROY the United States and it's lauded and supported as being perfectly Constitutional.

What the Hell.............?

Grrrrrr......there are some days I probably just shouldn't read about all of this crap.

Below is the link to the Email addresses for all 2009 Maine Senators. The page also contains a link to the Maine House of Representatives Email List.

http://www.state.me.us/legis/senate/sen ... aillst.htm

Added -

ALIPAC FOCUS CAMPAIGN FOR MAINE:

DEFEATING LD1195 is the current PURPOSE of the "ALIPAC Activisim and Focus Campaign" for Maine (2009)! At the link below you will find information about the bill, contact information for all Maine officials, and a suggested sample email to send opposing the legislation:
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-148091.html