For at least 30 years, state lawmakers in Augusta have fiercely debated whether Maine voters should be required to show a photo ID before casting a ballot. And in every instance, those voter ID proposals have failed at the Legislature.

Next month, Maine voters will get their chance to weigh in on the long-simmering issue.

But Question 1 isn’t merely about voter ID. The initiative also aims to make numerous changes to an absentee balloting process that’s so popular that roughly 45% of Maine voters cast absentee ballots during the November 2024 elections.

That has led to competing narratives about Question 1’s true objectives and potential impacts, perhaps best epitomized by the names of the groups leading the fight on either side: Voter ID for ME and the Save Maine Absentee Voting Coalit

See Full Page