Dear Editor:

Maine Citizens for Clean Elections (MCCE) launched the initiative, “An Act to Strengthen the Maine Clean Election Act, Improve Disclosure and Make Other Changes to the Campaign Finance Laws,” in May and began the task of collecting 70,000 signatures from Maine voters in order to place a question on the 2015 ballot. In recent years, Maine’s first-in-the-nation Clean Election Act was weakened by legislative and court action. MCCE is hopeful that the strong Election Day effort will yield enough valid signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot.

“Republicans, Democrats, Greens and independents circulated and signed our petitions, demonstrating that Clean Elections is important to all of us,” said Andrew Bossie, MCCE’s Executive Director. “We need to keep the power of our government where it belongs – in the hands of people. Everyday Mainers can’t write massive campaign checks or hire high-priced lobbyists who tilt the playing field in their favor at everyone else’s expense. That’s why Maine people are working to strengthen our Clean Election laws.”

The effort is timely, as the 2014 elections have proved to be the most expensive in Maine’s history, with outside groups spending more than ever to influence the outcomes of state races.

“Today’s historic effort shows that Maine citizens are not willing to stand by and watch elections become auctions,” said BJ McCollister, MCCE’s Program Director. “Maine citizens are rolling up their sleeves and stepping up to show the rest of the country that elections should be, and can be, about voters, not wealthy donors. This effort is truly of, by, and for Maine citizens.”

I was proud to be among the more than 800 Maine voters who volunteered at polling places around the state during Tuesday’s General Election to offer fellow voters the chance to sign the Clean Elections Initiative petition. This legislation will strengthen our Clean Elections law, increase transparency, and bolster accountability in Maine’s campaign finance laws.

Susan van Alsenoy

Wiscasset