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The
general election is on November 6th, 2012
How
do you register to vote? You fill out a voter
registration card. You can register
until/on Election Day. You must register in person and must
show ID and proof of where you live. ( 21-A
MRSA §121) Where do you
register to vote? You can register to vote at your
town office or city hall, or through any Motor Vehicle branch
office. Completed voter registration cards may be hand
delivered (it is too late to mail a voter registration card) to
your town office or city hall, or to the Secretary
of State’s Office in Augusta.
If you’ve already registered, but
wish to verify your registration, contact the Maine
Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions,
your town office or city hall.
Also, make sure you know where you
go to cast your vote; find
your local polling place. .
RESEARCH
THE CANDIDATES AND ISSUES
- Go to Maine.gov for
voter information look up; to find out who the candidates are
in your district. Also, if you live in Portland you can look
up your district information on the
city’s webpage.
- Read the Easy
To Read Voter Guide published by the League
of Women’s Voters of Maine; a nonpartisan
political organization that encourages informed and active
participation in government, works to increase understanding
of major political policy issues, and influences public policy
through education and advocacy.
- Read the Maine
Citizens Guide to the Referendum Election –
inside this booklet, you will find the referendum
questions, the legislation each question represents, a
summary of the intent and content of the legislation, an
explanation of the significance of a “yes” or “no”
vote, and much more information.
- Find sample ballots on the City
of Portland webpage.
Since the ballot is different for each town, look for
voter information and a sample ballot at your town’s
website. Sample ballots may not be available very far in
advance of the election. If your town has not posted a
sample ballot, you can call them and ask them to do so. Find
contact information for your town on
the State of Maine website.
- Find the MAINE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Candidates for
your district. You can learn more about them on Ballotpedia; a
nonprofit
and nonpartisan collaborative encyclopedia
designed to connect people to politics
- Search for news articles about the candidates and issues via
the Maine
Newsstand (with a Maine library card) -an index
to and full text coverage of five Maine newspapers. Database
includes coverage of the Bangor Daily News (12/3/92-present),
the Kennebec Journal (Augusta) (6/11/93-present), the Portland
Press Herald (10/30/95-present), Lewiston Sun Journal
(2006-present) and the Central Maine Morning Sentinel
(Waterville) (8/12/93-present). Selected business coverage of
the Maine Times (2/4/94-4/25/02) is also included. Updated
daily. Available through MARVEL!
Maine’s Virtual Library.
- Visit Maine
Center for Public Interest Reporting -
Maine’s only nonprofit investigative news service,
providing independent reporting on Maine government
and elections.
- Research Voting History
- If a candidate is currently in office or
previously held office, you can view the person’s
voting history. In order to do this, you need to know
information about a piece of legislation the candidate voted
on, such as bill name or number. If the candidate served
in Congress, you can find voting history by visiting Congress.gov and
checking the Major Actions tab on a piece of legislation, such
as Senate
bill 3199. Here you’ll find links to Senate
sites that contain a record of the vote on the bill. If
the candidate served in a state office, then try checking the Maine
State Legislature site for similar
information.
- Use your PPL card to access library databases including Global
Issues in Context (a colorful wealth of resources
explaining the background and viewpoints necessary for
understanding global issues, conflicts, and events) and Opposing
Viewpoints
(an online resource covering today’s hottest social issues).
- To learn more about the Electoral College read
FAQ’s from the Office of the Federal
Register.
- Visit USA.gov-
where you can explore topics, conduct a search or even ask
questions via chat to a government representative. Learn
about voter registration; researching candidates; tracking
fundraising and spending; contributing to the election
process; and more.
Voting
smart is important. Have questions? Visit your local library!
Portland
Public Library has
been a part of the Federal Depository Library Program since
1884. Find Government Documents in the Main Library's
Government Documents collection or link to e-resources from PPL's
E-government page.
"A
popular government without popular information, or the means
of
acquiring
it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy or both."
- James Madison
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