Thirty-eight years ago, the Maine Legislature (led by Republicans) voted to allow same-day registration and voting on Election Day in order to encourage Maine citizens to vote.

Since that time, thousands of Mainers have registered to vote and voted on Election Day. Recently, however, the conservative Maine House and Senate have taken away that right. The bill ending same-day registration and voting was signed by Governor LePage in June 2011. Subsequently, 18 civic, political and advocacy groups, including the League of Women Voters, formed the Protect Maine Votes Coalition. Its purpose is to overturn, through a people’s veto, a law imposed upon Maine residents without their consent. Over a period of 23 days, myself along with more than 1,000 other volunteers gathered 70,000 signatures to place Question 1 on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Why was this law ending Election Day registration imposed upon us? The stated reasons vary, but they are all extremely flimsy. Conservative Republicans representing the Maine Heritage Policy Foundation have attempted to make us believe that rampant voter fraud is afoot in our state. Then, when they could only find one example over many years, they have now fallen back on the excuse – that they are protecting us from ourselves, and preventing possible future fraud.

What these fear mongers do not point out is that there are many checks and balances already in place. First, when you register to vote, town clerks will want to see a picture ID as well as documentation to prove that you actually live at the address stated on your voter registration form. There is also a statewide mandated database in which all voters are registered. If you move from one town to another and you were previously registered in the first town, the town clerk will see that in the database.

Also, when you sign your voter registration form, you must swear that it is accurate and that you are aware of the legal penalties should you attempt to vote twice in the same election. Finally, town clerks did not ask to eliminate same-day registration and voting. The vast majority of town clerks are serious in their belief that the encouragement of voting is a good thing for democracy, even if they are busy or need extra help on Election Day.

I am personally committed to same-day registration and voting because I have proudly been able to take advantage of that opportunity when I moved from one town to another, that was 20 miles further from my work. My days as a health professional were long and intense and the needs of patients were not predictable. When I moved from the city to a rural town, I had five vacation days to accomplish all that goes into making a major move, and registering to vote was one thing I did not accomplish. Several months later, I was able to register and vote on Election Day in my new town.

As a volunteer collecting signatures for the people’s veto, I met many young couples with small children who told me that they had utilized same-day voting when they had moved to their new towns. No matter where I collected signatures, whether at the Yarmouth Clam Festival, the Ossipee Music Festival or Hollis Buxton Old Home Days, I heard that same refrain over and over again. These are young couples juggling child-raising, household chores and work responsibilities and they are the future of Maine. Because you may have lived in the same town and registered to vote many years ago, don’t forget the demands of life on young families trying to get it “all done” in 24 hours. In addition, many people are working two or more jobs in a tough economy.

So where does this conservative Republican attempt to eliminate Election Day voter registration come from? In truth, it is a nationwide attempt by conservative groups to thwart the voting of young people and/or those who move frequently. It is the conservative Republican belief that the votes of certain individuals are less important than theirs. In addition, conservative Republicans are convinced that people who have not had an opportunity to register and vote before Election Day are more likely to vote Democratic. Even here in Maine, I have had several people (generally older men) tell me that the Democrats have been busing in thousands of people from Massachusetts to throw elections by registering and voting on Election Day. I have to wonder – where do they get these absurd stories?

Finally, I have to point out that I also met a number of self-identified, moderate Republicans who quickly signed the petition to repeal the new law and just weren’t buying the voter fraud story. They saw this scheme for what it is – an attempt to interfere with the voting rights of Maine citizens.

I am writing to encourage the readers of this newspaper to vote “Yes on 1” in the upcoming election, Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Maurie Hill is a resident of Standish.