Getting out the ‘NO on 1’ vote to save Maine absentee voting

MSEA-SEIU Retiree Member Jane L. Gilbert urges everyone to vote NO on Question 1 on the Nov. 4, 2025, statewide ballot to save Maine absentee voting.

Members of the Maine Service Employees Association, Local 1989 of the Service Employees International Union (MSEA-SEIU), are getting out the “No on 1” vote to save Maine absentee voting in the Nov. 4^th statewide referendum.

“I am a retired state employee, union leader, mother and grandmother, and I want to see a stronger democracy for my kids and grandchildren,” MSEA-SEIU Retiree Member Lois Baxter of Orrington said. “We have an opportunity to defend the strong election system we have in Maine this November. I believe we must vote ‘no’ on Question 1 to do so. If Question 1 passes, this could take away access to the right to vote for thousands of Mainers and will, in my view, put us on the wrong path.

“I regularly vote absentee,” Lois Baxter added. “I live in a small town with a small town hall, and since I broke my leg, standing in long lines in harsh November elements is very difficult. I would rather vote from the comfort of my own home. Many of my peers with more challenges than I do feel the same way, especially for those without reliable transportation.”

Members of the MSEA-SEIU Board of Directors have voted to join the Save Maine Absentee Voting campaign to defeat Question 1. The board’s vote came at the recommendation of members of the union’s political action committee, PASER, Political Action by Service Employees and Retirees.

In 2024, Maine had the third highest voter participation rate in the United States, with over 74% of Mainers voting. “We should be proud of this, and we need to fight to prevent unnecessary barriers for working people, retirees, and disabled Mainers to take part in our right to vote,” said MSEA-SEIU Retiree Member Jane L. Gilbert of Augusta, who has gone door to door this fall talking with voters about Question 1.

In the November 2024 General Elections, over 2,500 members of MSEA-SEIU Local 1989 voted by absentee ballot. Members of MSEA vote by absentee ballot for many reasons. Many work long or irregular hours or are subject to mandatory overtime, including back-to-back eight-hour shifts. Some have school-age children and childcare obligations. Others have medical or mobility issues preventing them from standing in long lines or even driving to the polls.

Yet Question 1, if approved, would:

• Eliminate ongoing absentee voting for older and disabled Mainers;
• Shorten the time period for early absentee voting by two days;
• Make it hard for Mainers who rely on absentee voting to cast their ballot, including elderly people, people with disabilities, Mainers in rural communities, and Mainers who are out of state on Election Day;
• Limit the number of secure ballot drop-off boxes a town may offer;
• Require a two-person, bipartisan team to check ballot boxes, instead of the clerk or a trusted member of their staff;
• Prohibit towns from including return postage on absentee ballots, even if taxpayers vote to fund it;
• Prevent voters from calling their town clerk to request a ballot;
• Require voters to show an approved form of photo ID in order to obtain their ballot;
• Cost Maine taxpayers over $2 million in four years.

“We all need to educate ourselves, and each other, about what’s at stake with Question 1,” added Jane L. Gilbert. “Join me in voting NO to reject it. Join me in voting ‘no’ to protect the right of all Mainers, including seniors and those with disabilities, to vote by absentee ballot.”