THE HOWS, WHENS, WHERES AND WHYS OF STUDENT VOTING IN FARMINGTON

HOW

Out-of-state students can vote in Maine while they go to school here without changing their residence status.
On the day of an election, go to the polls. Tell them you’re a UMF student and give them some I.D.
That’s it! What they will do is register you to vote in Farmington for that election and all following elections in Maine.
Remember, you can only be registered to vote in one place at a time. If you want to vote in your own hometown in Maine or any other state, you need to register in that location.
OR
If you are a Maine resident and you still want to vote in your hometown, you can vote via absentee ballot. To do this, you need to contact the town office in your home town and request and absentee ballot. They will send one to you. Fill it out and send it back to them.

WHEN

In regular elections voting takes place on the first Tuesday in November. We vote for members of the state and national House of Representatives on even years (‘96, ‘98, ‘00). We vote for state senators every four years, and U.S. senators every six years.
The next presidential election is in the year 2000.

 WHERE

Voting takes place in the basement of the Farmington Rec Center on Middle Street.
How to get there: Off High Street (the street Purington and Mallett are on) is Middle Street, across from the public library. Just past the driveway for the Mallett school playground, on the left, a big brick building with a huge sign on the front – you can’t miss it. It’s about a two minute walk from anywhere on campus.

WHY

There are many reasons why it’s important for all students at UMF to vote. In the last few years, several different issues have been presented to vote on that affect us as students and as Maine residents. These include

February 10, 1998

QUESTION 1: PEOPLE'S VETO
Do you want to reject the law passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation with respect to jobs, housing, public accommodations and credit?

June 11, 1996:
QUESTION 1: "Do you favor a $4,905,316 bond issue for a statewide library information system?"

November 7, 1995:
Question 3: Do you favor a $15,000,000 bond issue to fund local telecommunications infrastructure and classroom technology equipment to enhance interactive telecommunications capabilities and student learning opportunities in the State's schools?

BOND ISSUE

Often if the state wants funding for a large-one time project, they raise money for the project by "floating a bond issue." For example the state can raise money for highway construction by selling 15 million. dollars in bonds to individual investors. What we vote on during elections is whether to make this expenditure. Often money that benefits the university comes through state bonds.

PEOPLE’S INITIATIVE ELECTION

A group of people in a state design a law, then gather signatures on a petition to show support for it. This proposed law goes to the legislature.

If the legislature refuses to pass it, the bill goes directly to the people in the next November election, unless the governor or secretary of state proclaims a special election. If the initiative is passed by a majority of voters in the election, it becomes public law. It may be challenged in courts, and the legislature may amend it during the next legislative session. The "partial birth abortion" referendum on this November’s ballot is an example of this.

 Some of the questions you will see on the November 2nd, 1999 ballot are

Question 1: Do you want to ban a specific abortion procedure to be defined in law, except in cases where the mother’s life is in danger?

Question 2: Do you want to allow patients with specific illnesses to grow and use small amounts of marijuana for treatment, as long as such use is approved by a doctor?

Question 6: Do you favor a $26, 420, 000 bond issue for infrastructure improvements at Maine’s 7 technical colleges that must be matched by at least $7, 000, 000 of private or in-kind donations?