To the Mayor, City Council, and City Clerk of Portland, Maine:

Portland is a city that welcomes democratic participation. We are a diverse community that listens to all voices. The Coronavirus pandemic and the current protests for Black lives and against police brutality ensure that our city’s operations are not business as usual. We must adapt to the will of the people, and to do that the people must be given the ability to participate.

Our city must ensure that people have the right to democratic processes during these difficult times. In the interest of all residents, including city staff and elected officials, we call on the City of Portland to make the following changes:

1. Push current city-level democratic referenda submission deadlines to after the July 14 primary, while still allowing the referenda to be placed on the November 2020 ballot. The current deadline of July 1 provided by the City Clerk gives signature gatherers a very limited window during a time when social distancing remains imperative to public health. Given the challenges of a pandemic and the rescheduled primary date, where petitioners would usually be able to gather signatures, this decision amounts to obstruction of the democratic right to petition the government, as outlined in the Maine Constitution. The deadline can be met, and the questions can get on the ballot for November, if the petitions are given until July 17.
2. While we understand the current health risks associated with workers staffing 11 polling places throughout the city, we request that all eleven polling places remain open for the July 14 primary election. Three locations for a city of 67,000, with only two on-peninsula locations, threaten the people’s ability to cast a vote. They place further burdens on Portlanders with disabilities, low-income Portlanders, parents, working people and young Portland residents. We hope and expect that the city will have a plan in place to fully staff all 11 polling places for both the July 14th primary and for the November, 2020 general election.

People First Portland, Fair Elections Portland, Portland Democratic City Committee, Portland Green Party, Progressive Portland, Maine State Building & Construction Trades Council, Maine People’s Alliance, Southern Maine Democratic Socialists, Homeless Voices for Justice, Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.