Fight for Clean Elections in Maine

On November 3rd, citizens across the state of Maine will head to the polls and vote on Question 1 to restore and re-establish clean elections and to counteract the role of big money in state and local races.

Accountable or clean elections, approved overwhelmingly by Maine voters in 1996, established the first-ever public funding system in the United States for candidates running for a state office in Maine. Elections were decided by the voters, not by wealthy special interests. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2011 gutted the intent of the law by eliminating the matching fund component, dramatically weakening Maine's Clean Election Law.

The original purpose of the Maine Clean Election Act – fairness, accountability and transparency in elections, along with Mainers' free speech – was compromised. The ruling made it easier for ultra-wealthy special interests to influence the outcome of campaigns.

Question 1 seeks to fix what the Supreme Court has broken.

As the campaign to restore clean elections in Maine races toward the finish line, CWA, the Democracy Initiative and coalition organizations are working hard to turn out every single Mainer to make their voice heard on Election Day. Their efforts on the ground, along with additional partners like Common Cause, Every Voice, Sierra Club, Maine People's Action, and others are critical to building a true democracy movement and building a government of, by, and for the people.

The Democracy Initiative recently spoke with Serina DeWolfe of CWA Local 1400 in Maine about her organizing efforts on the ground. Below are some of DeWolfe's reflections on the campaign in its final weeks and its importance to the broader democracy movement.

Democracy Initiative (DI): Why do clean elections matter to our democracy?

Serina DeWolfe (SD): I would pose this question: How do you have a true democracy without clean elections? Elections won by the most affluent candidates supported by the richest special interest groups are not examples of the democracy that the United States was founded on. There is no true "one person, one vote" when elections are bought by lobbyists.

DI: Why do you think clean elections matter in Maine and in other states?

SD: There is truth to the old slogan "as Maine goes, so goes the nation." There is a watchful eye on our small, rural state where we pride ourselves on doing what is right. I am confident that Mainers will go to the polls on November 3rd and do the right thing. This is a pivotal referendum question. If Mainers do the right thing by voting for clean elections, I am confident other states will realize the positive impact this will have on elections throughout the United States and we, the voters, will have our voice back.