Question 1 on the statewide ballot this November has largely been framed around the provision to require voter identification. But the bigger debate may hinge on changes it would make to absentee voting.

Maine voters have come to increasingly rely on absentee or mail-in ballots — a practice that is routinely targeted by Republican politicians as rife with potential fraud, even though evidence doesn’t support that.

During last year’s presidential election, almost half of all votes cast were absentee. The latest citizen-initiated proposal would make that more difficult.

If passed, it would prohibit voters from requesting absentee ballots by phone, and would require older Mainers and those with disabilities to renew their eligibility each year. The proposal also would limit the number of

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