Republicans in Augusta are once again pushing to require photo ID at the polls in Maine.

A bill to do so, LD 199, was submitted last session but was carried over to the current session and is back up for consideration.

Despite voters turning down further restrictions on Election Day ”“ including a measure to eliminate same-day registration ”“ the Maine GOP is not getting the message.

State Rep. Rich Cebra, R-Naples, is the main sponsor of LD 199, which would require people voting in Maine to present photo ID to be able to vote. The bill text says the Secretary of State will adopt rules establishing a photograph identification standard for voters providing ID to an election clerk.

According to Caitlin Chamberlain, a spokeswoman for the secretary of state, in addition to Maine-issued driver’s licenses or state IDs, student IDs, U.S. passports and other federally issued forms of identification and IDs from other states could be used for voting.

Secretary of State Charles Summers Jr. has said his office could provide free state IDs for those unable to afford them. This could cost the state more than $300,000.

So, if we understand this correctly: Republicans want to restrict access to voting and increase costs to taxpayers by providing free IDs for voters ”“ with a price tag of $300,000.

All of this is after voters overwhelmingly said no to restricting voter access just weeks ago, and a study by Secretary of State Summers turned up next to nothing for cases of voter fraud. After a two-month investigation into possible voter fraud by college students and non-citizens this summer, Summers said evidence showed that students accused of committing fraud did not, and only one non-citizen voted in Maine.

The evidence is simply not there to support the claims of fraud.

In addition to a lack of voter fraud, this bill, if it were to become law, could be costly and would certainly disenfranchise voters.

In an interview with the Journal Tribune recently, state Sen. Barry Hobbins, D-Saco, said requiring a photo ID would be a roadblock for some voters, such as the elderly, many of whom don’t drive and have allowed their state driver’s licenses to lapse.

“I can just picture my mother (who is now deceased) with her expired license trying to vote,” Hobbins said. “This is a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist.”

We agree with Sen. Hobbins, and hope this bill will be defeated by state legislators. We do not have a problem with fraud in Maine, and there is no strong evidence for requiring photo ID at the polls. If there were, we could get behind this proposal, but spending taxpayers’ money to combat a problem that does not exist just doesn’t make sense.

Maine voters sent a loud-and-clear message on Election Day that they do not want access to the polls restricted, and a people’s veto may be on next year’s ballot if legislators ignore this message.

Representatives and senators in Augusta should get back to the business of saving taxpayer’s money while increasing economic opportunity and growth ”“ instead of finding frivolous ways to spend more money on smoke and mirrors.

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Today’s editorial was written by City Editor Robyn Burnham on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via e-mail at kristenm@journaltribune.com.