Maine College Students Push Back After Governor Warns Them Not To Vote
Maine college students are reportedly pushing back against controversial Republican Gov. Paul Le Page, who warned them they could face fraud charges if they tried to vote in the state.
Students were outraged when Le Page told reporters that students might be voting at their parents homes as well as in Maine. He also claimed they would be on the hook for state fees totalling hundreds of dollars if they try to claim residency there, the Washington Post reported.
Bates College student Sarah Frankie Sigman told the Post she was filled with “rage” when she heard about the governor’s effort and flyers that were handed out warning about supposed fees.
“This is obviously meant to scare Bates students from voting, which is not right,” she said.
Voting rights and civil liberties groups vowed to push for an investigation into Le Page, who has made headlines with racially insensitive remarks about blacks and Hispanics.
Bates and Colby Colleges both have significant Jewish student populations.
Maine is considered safely in Hillary Clinton’s column, but the state also allots a single electoral vote to the winner of each of its two congressional districts. The rural 2nd district is considered a toss-up between Clinton and Donald Trump.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.
If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.
Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO