League of Women Voters of Maine distributing election voter guide

A comprehensive voter guide
publication compiled by the League
of Women Voters of Maine is now
available and contains helpful
nonpartisan information about
candidates and election details.
COURTESY PHOTO

By Ed Pierce

Before heading to cast a ballot on Election Day or completing an Absentee Ballot, voters may want to review a handy new publication issued by the League of Women Voters.

Last week, the League of Women Voters announced they have printed and are distributing more than 120,000 copies of a new informative and nonpartisan publication to voters. About 90,000 copies of the publication will be direct mailed to state residents, with the remainder to be distributed statewide by volunteers and partners of the organization.

“There isn’t a better nonpartisan resource out there for voters to learn what they’ll see on their Nov. 3 ballot,” said Anna Kellar, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Maine. “I hope every voter will arm themselves with this information as they head to the polls between now and Nov. 3.”

Kellar said this will be the widest distribution of an election publication that the League of Women Voters of Maine has ever attempted.

Paper copies of the voter guide are also now available at the Raymond Village Library and the Windham Public Library.

For years, the Maine League of Women Voters has created and made available to the public its popular guide to voting and this year is certainly no exception, said Ann Luther, Treasurer of the League of Women Voters of Maine.

“The League's Easy-to-Read Voter Guide is an election-year tradition,” Luther said. “People love its large-print format and its plain-English explanations.”

According to Luther, the new voter publication is filled with information about the U.S. Presidential election, Maine U.S. Senate and Maine U.S. House candidates. It also contains general information about how to vote in person or via absentee ballot, various election processes, a review about how Ranked Choice Voting works in Maine, and a sample ballot.

The League has also launched a digital version to share on its website, www.lwvme.org/guide, Luther said.

In addition to the new election guide, voters in Windham and Raymond may consider visiting vote411.org/ballot online to learn more about all of the state legislative races, along with Cumberland County candidates, the Windham Town Council candidates, RSU 14 school board candidates, and a number of referendums, including the RSU 14 withdrawal referendum in Raymond.

“Good democracy requires good information, and voters deserve a nonpartisan guide to help them make informed choices this election,” said Evan Tess Murray, the Education and Engagement Projects Manager for the League of Women Voters of Maine and lead author who helped create the voter guide.
 

Residents of Maine and individuals can request a bundle of voter guides for their school, business, faith community, nonprofit organizations and more and they are also available in bundles of 50 upon request.

Besides the voter guide, the League of Women Voters of Maine has launched a new hotline this fall to help voters find answers to their questions about voter registration, absentee ballots, and understanding Ranked Choice Voting.

“Voters have a lot of questions and uncertainty about voting this year, and we have trained volunteers, who are standing by, to ensure everyone can quickly get answers they can trust,” Kellar said.

Call or text the hotline at 207-558-3333 or send an email to vote@lwvme.org for more information about the hotline. The League of Women Voters of Maine is partnering with other non-partisan Maine organizations to answer questions on Facebook at the “Help ME Vote” page.

The League of Women Voters of Maine is a public policy organization. As a nonprofit, nonpartisan group, the League does not support or oppose candidates or political parties. Membership in the League of Women Voters of Maine is open to anyone age 16 or older.

For more information, go to https://www.lwvme.org/ <n, the League does not support or oppose candidates or political parties. Membership is open to anyone 16 years of age or older.

League of Women Voters of Maine assisted new citizens to register to vote at the Windham Veterans Center by Peg Balano

The League of Women Voters of Maine (LWVME) has been honored over the last four years, to attend Naturalization Ceremonies throughout the state, handing out information to our newest citizens about voting in Maine. We are also there to register them to vote if they have time after the ceremony. Each ceremony is different. Some are held in judicial courtrooms, some in elementary schools. The ceremony on Friday, May 26 at the Windham Veterans Center was special in its location and recognition of military personnel. 

On this day, there were 28 new American citizens, and we were able to register half of them to vote. One of the most poignant parts of the ceremony for me is when each candidate is asked to stand when their country of origin is called. They then all remain standing with right hand raised, and repeat in unison, their pledge to become American Citizens. I am always amazed by the number of countries represented at each event, and the range of experiences and cultures the new citizens bring to our communities. On this day, our new citizens were from 22 different countries: Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ghana, Guatemala, Iraq, Italy, Kazakhstan, Malta, Pakistan, People’s Republic of China, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Somalia, Sudan, United Kingdom and Vietnam.

In the words of Tiffany Greco, one of our league volunteers that day, “Volunteering with the League of Women Voters affords me the invaluable opportunity to attend Naturalization Ceremonies and register new citizens to vote. Today's quaint ceremony at the Windham Veteran's Center was full of all the best stuff of this country. The community welcomed 28 new citizens from 22 countries. It was beautiful and incredibly moving. The room could barely contain all of the joy, love, and pride. A family member of a new citizen offered cupcakes to us all. It was a good morning of people being kind and welcoming to all.”  

To learn more about the League of Women Voters of Maine, visit: www.lwvme.org.  The bottom of that page also provides links to read about our work and volunteer opportunities.  We are also found at: www.facebook.com/LWVME/.

Becoming United States citizens - with help from the American Legion Auxiliary by Michelle Libby

“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic;”

Twenty-eight people gave the Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America on Friday morning at the Windham Veterans Center. The ceremony hosted by American Legion Auxiliary Unit 148 (ALA) was the second the unit had planned. 

“It’s an awesome, life changing event for these people and I’m happy to witness it,” said ALA member Pat Learned. 

From over 20 countries like Cambodia, Canada, Columbia, Ghana, Guatemala, Italy, Russia, Malta and the People’s Republic of China, the new citizens personally demonstrated, under oath, their desires to become citizens. 

“It’s about time. I’ve been here for 20 plus years,” said Sarom Grover, 37, originally from Cambodia and a Windham resident. “I always put it off. My priorities were going to school and starting a family.” Now she sees the differences in the country since the 1980s and she wants to be more involved in the changes. “I feel so loved. I seriously didn’t picture this being so big and important to others as it is to me,” she said. 

The children in attendance and the families of the honored were able to see how the military and citizenship are intertwined. “Our purpose is to promote patriotism and Americanism,” said ALA president Pam Whynot. “Freedom is not free. The military works hard for our citizens, for all of us.”

The master of ceremony was Kim Colson-Hoffman, Immigration Services Officer. She welcomed everyone and introduced the third grade chorus from Windham Primary School who sang the National Anthem and other patriotic selections. Being Memorial Day weekend, the event was even more poignant for the attendees. 

“Bringing in the local people from the area make this more special. The keynote speaker is a Windham resident and the Legion Auxiliary brings pride to the community,” said Immigration Services Officer Kurt Pelletier, who lives in Raymond. “With it being Memorial Day weekend, what could be more American than that?”

Nkrumah Kingsley is an Army National Guard member from Westbrook who became a citizen on Friday. “I look at America setting other countries free. I want to be part of the US citizens helping people in bondage, sacrificing my life for people,” he said. 

Twenty year Army veteran Sgt. First Class Keri Karsten gave welcoming remarks. “I learned and loved to selflessly serve,” she told the audience. She described traveling to other countries and learning about the customs, languages and food, and how that changed her. 

For Windham resident Cindy O’Brien, it was time to become a citizen. “My alien card was getting tattered and I started getting detained. I decided to take the plunge,” she said. O’Brien moved from Canada to the United States when she was 4 years old.  

At this ceremony, four of the new citizens were from Windham: Grover, O’Brien, Michael Popov and Viktor Yurkevich. Two of the new citizens had military ties: Kingsley the National Guard member, and Selina Ripley, who is the spouse of a retired Air Force member. 

Maine Senator Bill Diamond was the keynote speaker. He has a long history of service to the community and state, Pelletier said. 

“It is very, very special. In all of Windham, we are very proud to have your ceremony here,” Diamond said. “You can tell a lot about a country by the numbers of people who want to get in.” He spoke about his son-in-law, who will become an American citizen in June. “That makes my family even more connected to you. We were here on day number one of your citizenship.”

Luis Juarez said that becoming a citizen means “everything” to him. “It changed my life being here. I grow my kids here, safe. There are lots of opportunities here. Everything is changing. I’ve got to do it right now,” he said. Juarez and his 16-year-old son and 21-year-old daughter are from Portland. His daughter just graduated from Smith College with plans to become a doctor. 

Grade schooler Alexander Momot from Windham read an essay he wrote. “Veterans are true heroes and will always be in my heart. Their patriotism shows us that this country is worth fighting for,” he read.

At the end of the ceremony, the new citizens were given the opportunity to register to vote by the League of Women Voters. 

“There’s so much here. It’s so rich,” said Representative Mark Bryant. “It’s a civic blessing all by itself. It takes a village and we have a good village.”  

“These guys have worked so hard to be citizens. We are so blessed to be natural born citizens,” said ALA member Nancylou Stiles.