Quotes in column set Senate on fire

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By Tom Bell, Morning Sentinel.

AUGUSTA — Infuriated by the statements a Republican leader made accusing the Democratic Party of stealing elections, Senate Democrats on Friday night struggled to prevent the final passage of a bill that would eliminate same-day voter registration.

It was the most heated debate in the Senate since the session began in January. At one point, Sen. Stan Gerzofsky, D-Brunswick, was ruled out of order for shouting.

Earlier in the day, opposition groups were so sure that L.D. 1376 would be become law that they were already mulling over their next steps, such as mounting a legal challenge or launching a people’s veto campaign.

But comments by Charlie Webster, chairman of the Maine Republican Party, made to a newspaper columnist put the bill’s fate in doubt.

Portland Press Herald columnist Bill Nemitz wrote in Friday’s paper that Webster believes that Democrats have brought in voters by the busload to districts where they do not live in order to win tight races.

“If you want to get really honest, this is about how the Democrats have managed to steal elections from Maine people,” Webster said in an interview that Nemitz recorded. “Many of us believe that the Democrats intentionally steal elections.”

Senate Democrats called the statements “un-American and shameful.”

“I don’t know if this is more absurd, more outrageous or more insulting,” said Sen. Phil Bartlett, D-Gorham.

Sen. Elizabeth Schneider, D-Orono, wondered what happened to the Democratic buses that they had allegedly deployed to win elections. She noted that Republicans now control the Legislature.

“Where are our buses?” she asked. “We didn’t do a very good job stealing the elections, did we?”

Sen. Justin Alfond, D-Portland, said that Webster told him on Wednesday that the bill’s passage would damage the political viability of some Democrats.

“He said, ‘This strategy will ensure that socialists and liberals like you won’t get elected anymore,'” Alfond said.

Webster, who watched the debate on the Internet from his Augusta office, said the Democrats’ attacks against him are a sign that Democrats are desperately trying to protect a election system that they have used for their political advantage.

Webster said he never made the statements Alfond attributed to him

“He lied. It’s an outright lie,” Webster said. “This is how desperate they are to keep this law.”

Republicans said the bill would prevent voter fraud and ease the workload of city and town clerks on election day.

Sen. Debra Plowman, R-Hampden, the assistant majority leader, said she was not proud of Webster’s comments and will be speaking to him about it.

“This bill is not about newspaper articles. This bill is about preserving the integrity of the voter.”

Senate President Kevin Raye, R-Perry, who stepped down from the rostrum so he could participate, said, “Listening to this debate, you’d think we were on the verge of taking away a God-given right.” Raye said. “What we are talking about here tonight is hardly the outrage it has been portrayed.”

He said Maine would become the fourty-third state in the country to require that people register prior to election day.

The bill would be a big change for how elections operate in Maine. The current law is 38 years old. In 2008, nearly 60,000 voters registered to vote on election day. The law has been credited with helping rank Maine among the states with the highest turnout rates. Maine is one of eight states that allow same-day registration and it consistently ranks near the top nationally for voter turnout.

Groups opposing the bill include the Disability Rights Center, the League of Women Voters of Maine, the Maine Civil Liberties Union, the Maine Municipal Association, the Maine League of Young Voters and the Maine Women’s Lobby.