Tag Archives: Secretary of State

Can we make the next election better?

Are you ready for the next election? No, I’m not talking about 2020 and the chaos of a presidential year. To all of our chagrin, that will start far too soon. Rather, the next election is the “secret” race for Maine’s constitutional offices. We’re an outlier in the United States. Our attorney general, secretary of […]

Maine must clean up the ranked-choice voting mess

What a mess. That’s the only word I can find that fits the trials and tribulations of ranked-choice voting. Last week, the secretary of state and attorney general found mistakes in the people’s veto effort, which plunged our upcoming June election into chaos. Advocates filed a lawsuit; Secretary of State Matt Dunlap said he wouldn’t […]

Laws are tricky; that’s why voters have other people make them

Laws are tricky things. Just ask the Portland City Council. This past week, seven members went on a learning junket out into Portland’s harbor to inspect safety improvements at the historic Fort Gorges. The problem? Maine’s “Freedom of Access Act.” It specifies that, when three or more public officials are gathered in any official capacity, […]