FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 21, 2012
Contact: Megan Sanborn
(207) 626-8405

The Commission to Study the Conduct of Elections in Maine to hold Public Hearing in Augusta on August 23, 2012

AUGUSTA ? The Honorable John Atwood, Chair of the Commission to Study the Conduct of Elections in Maine, has announced that the group will hold a public hearing on August 23, 2012 at the University of Maine in Augusta (UMA).? The hearing will begin at 5:30 pm and will be held in the Richard J. Randall Student Ctr., Rm. 138 on the UMA campus.

This past May, Secretary of State Charles E. Summers, Jr. appointed a Commission to Study the Conduct of Elections in Maine, in accordance with Resolve, Chapter 133 (enacted by the 125th Maine State Legislature).? He tasked the Commission with conducting a study of voter participation, the system governing voter registration and the conduct of elections in our State; the intent being that their findings, as well as any recommended legislation, would be reported to the Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs of the 126th Legislature. The group will be holding public hearings throughout the state in order to better understand how Mainers view the State?s voting process and what their concerns are, as well as what they feel may need to be changed or modified.

Commission Members include former Superior Court Judge, John Atwood; attorney and former Mayor of the City of Bangor, Larry Willey; Special Advisor to Seeds of Peace and Director of its Maine Seeds Program, Tim Wilson; former City Clerk for both Portland and South Portland, Linda Cohen; and former United States Attorney, Paula Silsby.

Please note that, depending on the size of the crowd, a time limit for comments may be imposed in order to accommodate all speakers.? Additionally, this is not a forum for voters to ask questions; it will be an occasion for people to offer information to the Commission that may be used in their report.

For a list of all scheduled public hearings and instructions on joining the discussions via Webinar, please visit the Secretary of State?s website at www.maine.gov/sos/.

For more information, please contact the Commission?s staff assistant, Melissa Couture at 626-8409.