It’s been a tough year for Maine’s senior senator. After the Supreme Court effectively overturned its 1973 Roe decision by allowing Texas to deputize its citizens as bounty hunters, observers rightfully pointed to the court’s conservative tilt and Sen. Collins’ crucial vote to confirm Justices Kavanaugh. After asserting time and again that she is pro-choice, Senator Collins refused to support the Democrats’ Women’s Health Protection Act, but assured constituents that Mr. Kavanaugh would respect the court’s 50 years of precedent.

Ah, the classic Collins two-step.

Now Sen. Collins is refusing to allow debate on the For the People Act, a moderate voting rights bill with commonsense protections for all voters, but most especially black and brown people. The 2018 and 2020 elections witnessed historic voter turnout in spite of historic gerrymandering and the influence of mega donors and dark money interests, never mind the insurrectionists who stormed the capital following months of lies about “voter fraud.” January 6 was the clarion call for commonsense voters’ rights legislation to help restore citizens’ confidence in the cornerstone of our democracy, and yet Sen. Collins opposes it.

Scores of states have considered or passed hundreds of bills restricting voting rights. S.R. 1 would have modernized and protected our elections, and buttressed against (largely) red states’ cynical attempts to suppress votes of minorities and young people. It would have ended partisan gerrymandering, overhauled ethics rules, and helped shine light on big donors.

Sen. Collins has become Maine’s Mitch McConnell.

Chris Indorf
Saco