As Maine heads into the 2025 election, voters will face two ballot questions that cut to the heart of the state’s debates over election integrity and gun rights. Both questions resurrect legislative fights that failed in Augusta and are now placed directly before the people.
Ballot Question 1: Election Integrity
Ballot Summary:
“Do you want to change Maine election laws to eliminate two days of absentee voting, prohibit requests for absentee ballots by phone or family members, end ongoing absentee voter status for seniors and people with disabilities, ban prepaid postage on absentee ballot return envelopes, limit the number of drop boxes, require voters to show certain photo ID before voting, and make other changes to our elections?”
This proposal is LD 1149, a bill which the Legislature rejected earlier this year. It would overhaul multiple parts of Maine’s voting process, including requiring photo ID for in-person or absentee ballots, eliminating family-member ballot requests, and ending ongoing absentee status for certain voters.
The most controversial piece of the debate, however, isn’t the content of the question; it’s the wording itself. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who publicly testified against LD 1149 in April, drafted the final ballot language in her official capacity. (MPI testified in support of the bill) Proponents claimed her phrasing was deliberately loaded to bias voters against the measure, leading to a legal challenge before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. The Court declined to intervene, holding that “merely demonstrating that the question creates a misleading impression… is not enough” to strike the wording, deferring to the Secretary’s broad discretion over ballot wording.
Context:
Supporters of Question 1 argue that Maine should align with most other states that require voter ID. There are 36 nationwide, including nearby states such as Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, as well as other Democratic states like Colorado, Delaware, and Washington. Opponents, supported by Secretary Bellows and Democratic legislators, instead claim the law would disenfranchise seniors, students, and low-income voters.
It also merges other voter ID issues with other concerns, such as absentee voter rules and drop box distribution, which some have complained distract from the issue. In contrast, others point out that the ballot question is meant as a general improvement of the system rather than a single-policy, targeted approach.
Ballot Question 2: ‘Red Flag’ Law or Safety Overreach?
Ballot Summary:
“Do you want to allow courts to temporarily prohibit a person from having dangerous weapons if law enforcement, family, or household members show that the person poses a significant danger of causing physical injury to themselves or others?”
This initiative would create a red flag law in Maine, similar to those in 21 other states. It would permit family members or law enforcement officials to petition a court to temporarily confiscate firearms from someone deemed a danger to themselves or others.
The campaign behind the initiative, “Safe Schools, Safe Communities,” is operated by the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, which launched the petition drive following legislative defeats. In both 2024 and 2025, Democratic leadership failed to advance bills of this nature. One controversy even saw committee chairs attempt to deny a public hearing, despite it being explicitly required by Maine state law; however, public pressure forced them to hold it.
Context:
If enacted, Question 2 would effectively repeal Maine’s “Yellow Flag” law, enacted in 2019 as a bipartisan compromise under Governor Janet Mills. That law is unique nationwide; it requires both a mental health evaluation and law enforcement approval before firearms can be seized. Police organizations have credited the system for keeping officers safer, as it ensures they are involved from the start and can take individuals into protective custody before any confiscation occurs.
By contrast, the proposed red flag law would bypass these safeguards, allowing judges to issue orders without prior involvement of police or medical professionals. Supporters frame this as a necessary tool to prevent suicides and shootings; critics warn it sacrifices due process and law enforcement safety in the name of speed.
The Bigger Picture
Both ballot questions represent efforts by activists to achieve through referendum what legislatures have rejected. Question 1 channels Republican frustration with Maine’s lax election security compared to most of the country, while Question 2 reflects the gun-control lobby’s persistence despite repeated legislative defeats and concerns about federal and state constitutional rights.
Both of these questions address controversial issues that legislators have challenges addressing: Ballot Question One proposes election security improvements to bring us in line with most of the national. Meanwhile, Ballot Question Two proposes to replace Maine’s more balanced compromise-driven gun control process with a program that is in line with other Democratic controlled states, and creates lower burdens of proof to confiscate Mainers’ firearms. With public opinion so closely divided, nobody yet knows how the people of Maine will vote on these critical issues.
