Ever wanted to know what it is like to run a non-profit organization in Maine? Check out this job listing from Emerge Maine!

As an Interim-Executive Director, you can get the hand’s on experience you need to see if non-profit leadership is a career path you want to travel down. Applications are available May 1st, more details below!

Read the rest of this entry »

RSVP on Facebook!

Remember what a bummer 2010 was when we learned that governors can be elected with 61% of voters casting a ballot for the other guy (or woman!)?

We sure do. That’s why the League pushed for and won the right to use Ranked Choice Voting in Portland for the 2011 Mayoral race. Turns out, RCV was pretty gosh darned easy and resulted in Mayor Brennan’s election with a majority vote. Pretty rad right?

Now we have a chance to take the state of Maine into the 21st Century by passing one of four different Ranked Choice Voting bills that are being debated up at the State House this year.

On Monday, April 22nd, the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee will be hearing a whole host of bills around this superior method of voting that requires a majority vote (51%) to win an election.

Obviously, Governor Lepage has a pretty strong incentive to veto any bill that would ensure his defeat in the 2014 gubernatorial race so the time has come to call on our legislators to raise the alarm and represent us on this issue by supporting just ONE of these four bills:

●      LD 1358 “An Act To Ammend The Election Laws To Require A Run-off Election for Governor”

●      LD 860 “An Act To Require that the Governor, Senators and Members of the House of Representatives Be Elected by the Ranked-Choice Voting Method”

●      LD 518 “An Act To Establish Ranked-choice Voting in the State”

●      LD 1219 “An Act to Establish a Run-off Process for the Election of the Governor, United States Sentaor or United States Representative”

These bills ensure that a majority vote elects our officials. Ranked choice voting is the best way to support a strong democracy and ensure that the voices of all voters are heard. Stand up and be counted to avoid another Lepage nightmare. Here are the two things we need you to do before Monday:

1. CALL your legislators now and tell them: Act now to support ranked choice voting!

2. Post this meme to your Facebook and Twitter and encourage your friends to do so too!

In January, Governor Paul LePage released his budget proposal for the fiscal years of 2014 and 2015, which could start July 1st of this year. Budgets are normal. Every city, company, state and any other type of organization that deals with money to function needs one. When released there will always be some opposition to the budget from the people it is affecting.

But here’s the thing: This is a pretty extreme proposal.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Maine League of Young Voters is Co-Sponsoring this event with the Natural Resources Council of Maine! Join us on Wednesday, April 17th at 7pm in Portland to learn more!

By Teddy Burrage

Throughout history, Maine has been known for its independence, setting the bar for many political and social movements. Even the state’s motto Dirigo means “I lead”. Aside from being the state where the sun rises first, Maine was the 1st state to ban billboards, the 1st to establish a Department of Indian Affairs, as well as the 1st to provide laptops to all public school students. The following are 5 ways that Maine has changed the face of America:

Maine was the 1st state to approve same-sex marriage via voter referendum

Previously to 2012, six states had laws that allowed same-sex couples to marry.  All of them were passed through legislation; none of them were approved through ballot initiative.  In 2012, Maine voters were asked “Do you want to allow the State of Maine to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples?” Election night proved that majority of Mainers voted “Yes” marking the first time when same-sex marriage was approved by the people of a state through the ballot box.

Click the following link to learn more about equality in Maine.

Read the rest of this entry »

Maine 101 is a 10 week course dedicated to breaking down the barriers between local government and regular folks run by our sister organization, The League of Young Voters Education Fund. It started February 6th, and we couldn’t be more excited. Each week, we’ll bring you a snapshot from both the Portland and Lewiston/Auburn groups. We hope you’ll enjoy the stories of your neighbors connecting with local government.

Name: Brendan Farley

Current City: Buxton, Me

Why did you want to participate in Maine 101? I chose to take part in Portland 101 to find out how our city and towns function as a municipality.  Learning how different facets of how a city faces everyday issues is a fascinating process that many of us do not think about on a day to day basis.

What sessions are you most excited about and why?  I was most excited about the visit to EcoMaine.  I found EcoMaine to be the most interesting because many of us don’t think about where our everyday waste goes and is deposited.  With a growing population, waste management will be vital to the health of our environment and our people.  Sanitation will be so essential to our growing world, whether it is with clean water, reusable goods, or waste energy production.  EcoMaine is providing a great service that trends towards a more sustainable way municipalities can dispose of trash, and in turn gain cheaper electricity.

What have you learned by participating?  I have learned that a municipality is a very intricate, detailed machine that is driven by the participation of people who care for it.  Officials may get elected, or employees hired, to work for the community, however without the passion of the public nothing worthwhile will get done.

Anything else you’d like to share about the program?  I would just urge everybody to become more aware of the great responsibility we all have to support our community, and also to really think about how new laws and legislation, or elected officials affect how we live.

Maine 101 is a 10 week course dedicated to breaking down the barriers between local government and regular folks run by our sister organization, The League of Young Voters Education Fund. It started February 6th, and we couldn’t be more excited. Each week, we’ll bring you a snapshot from both the Portland and Lewiston/Auburn groups. We hope you’ll enjoy the stories of your neighbors connecting with local government.

Name:  Megan Guynes

Current City:  Lewiston

What have you learned by participating? I have gained a deeper understanding of some of the policies and politics that govern our community. There are many people in positions of authority and varying organizations that make it possible for our city to function as efficiently as possible. It was interesting to discover how all these different people and organizations work together in order to make that happen.

Anything else you’d like to share about the program? It is a valuable experience. One is able to learn and explore the ways in which our cities are run. Not only that, there are so many amazing people we get to meet and converse with. We are able to interact with public officials and the varying individuals who may come to speak, and we also have a unique opportunity to get to know the other members who are participating as well. This is a great outlet to experience diversity and people from so many different walks of life.

Maine 101 is a 10 week course dedicated to breaking down the barriers between local government and regular folks run by our sister organization, The League of Young Voters Education Fund. It started February 6th, and we couldn’t be more excited. Each week, we’ll bring you a snapshot from both the Portland and Lewiston/Auburn groups. We hope you’ll enjoy the stories of your neighbors connecting with local government.

Name: Lucas Desmond
Current City: Portland
Why did you want to participate in Maine 101: As a long-time resident of Portland, I was interested in finally becoming more engaged with my city. As I see it, the first step is to become educated about the various moving parts of the city, and Portland 101 has done an excellent job with that.
What session are you most excited about and why? I was most excited about meeting the City Manager, Mark Rees, because his job is in some ways a total mystery to most of us outside of city politics, and yet he quite literally runs everything. As a side note, I quite liked him and his presentation. I left the meeting glad that he was at the helm and confident about Portland’s future.
What have you learned by participating? What I’ve learned so far by participating is difficult to say in such a short statement. From learning about single-sort recycling and the giant claws that “fluff” our garbage for burning to touring Portland PD’s CID and Dispatch Center to combing through the city’s budget, I’ve gained an appreciation for the city as a complex living organism. I’m much more excited about Portland now than before.
Anything else you’d like to share about the program? Yeah, I don’t think enough gets said about the people involved in the program. I’ve been excited to meet so many dedicated folks who genuinely want to engage with our communities in a positive way. And I would encourage anyone interested in almost anything to consider participating. It’s been a blast.