Question 1 will disenfranchise voters

To the Editor;

If Question 1 passes, a currently registered voter without a qualifying ID would need to go in person to a Bureau of Motor Vehicles office to get their “free” ID.

Take the example of an elderly person living in Beaver Cove (my current location). The closest BMV is Bangor, which is 77 miles away and would require a 3.5 hour round trip. Assuming the voter doesn’t drive (or they would have a photo ID), they would need to find someone to drive them — there is no public transportation between Beaver Cove and Bangor. To be sure of getting served before closing time, the voter could book an appointment online. Presently, appointments are being scheduled three months out.

Does this scenario sound like something an elderly or disabled person who has voted regularly for many years is likely to accomplish? Or even something a new voter without an acceptable Maine photo ID could easily accomplish? Another hard-hit group would be those working full time because most BMV offices are only open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Making the ID “free” saves a voter the $5 ID fee, but the entire process can be much costlier in terms of transportation and time spent away from home and/or work.

The lack of attention to implementation details means that passage of Question 1 is likely to disenfranchise more of Maine’s legal voters than the illegal voters it claims to target: two convictions found since 1982.

Valerie Kelly

Beaver Cove