Maine Wire Called It Ballot Stuffing. Maine Law Allows Voters to Get Help.

Maine Wire editor Steve Robinson published an October 30 report accusing organizations assisting Somali voters at Lewiston City Hall of an “industrial-scale ballot stuffing scheme.” That October 30 report drew on newly obtained security footage of early voting. It also makes a categorical claim about translators: they are not allowed to mark a ballot.

That would be a useful place to read the law before announcing the industrial-scale conspiracy.

Maine's official voter guide says people may get help reading or marking their ballots. The statutes permit requested assistance, including under the absentee-voting procedures, while restricting who may help and prohibiting influence over the voter's choices. The permission comes with conditions. It still exists.

Robinson’s October 30 article alleged more than translation. It described supposed coaching and complaints from Republican candidates. Those are allegations to investigate. Whether a voter asked for help, what an aide said and whose choices were marked matter. A camera showing someone touching a ballot cannot answer all of that by itself. I haven't reviewed every interaction in the footage, and a headline isn't going to do the translation for me.

The article also questions whether people who need English-language help could be naturalized citizens. It eventually supplies the answer: some applicants qualify for English-test exceptions. Robinson acknowledges that the assisted voters could be citizens. That concession belongs beside the suspicion, where readers can actually use it.

The Wall Street Journal reported October 30 that Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney Andrew Benson would review evidence concerning election-interference and intimidation complaints. A prosecutor reviewing material has not thereby certified the publisher's conclusion.

The Journal also reported that county commissioner Shukri Abdirahman helped two voters, including her mother, who cannot read or write English. She said: “People are just trying to vote.” The report attributed concerns about political targeting of the Somali community to Mayor Carl Sheline.

If someone pressured a voter, establish it. If an aide broke an assistance rule, show which one and how. But Somali people getting help is not a substitute for that work. The law doesn't promise that every citizen will arrive at the polling place convenient for a conservative news site's camera.