Maine now has what is known as automatic voter registration at Bureaus of Motor Vehicles.

When someone goes to get a driver's license or update one, they will also be given the option to update their voting information, and it will be automatically transmitted to their municipal clerk.

Angela Holmes, assistant city administrator, city clerk and registrar of voters for the City of Westbrook, said since people verify their residency information when they update their ID, there is no reason not to streamline the process and allow them to register to vote at the same time.

"It's going to ensure accuracy," Holmes contended. "It makes things easy for voters. One of the things that we really pride ourselves on here in Maine is how accessible and secure things are for our voters. We want everyone who is eligible qualified to vote, without a lot of hassle."

Holmes pointed out before the implementation of automatic voter registration, eligible voters could fill out a registration card at the bureau, but it would then go to the Secretary of State's office, where they would then sort them out to the various municipalities. She said automatic registration will be faster and far easier for election officials.

Holmes added 16- and 17-year-olds getting their driver's licenses for the first time also will get the opportunity to preregister to vote. You need to be 18 to vote, but 17-year-olds can vote in primaries if their 18th birthday will occur before the general election.

"As soon as they are eligible to vote, their voter registration file will become active," Holmes explained. "We're really hoping that this process will also encourage young voters to participate in the process as well, and to help foster civic engagement."

She said for folks who won't be going to a motor vehicles office between now and the election, you can register or update your registration at your municipal clerk's office, or at the polls on Election Day.

A bill establishing automatic was signed into law in 2019 to go into effect this year, and last week, the Secretary of State's office held ribbon-cuttings to celebrate the official launch.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Tennesseans aren't the only ones mourning the tragic loss of three children and three adults at this week's shooting at Nashville's Covenant School.

Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder found out about the shooting while attending the National League of Cities Conference in the nation's capital. Molder has a personal connection to Pastor Chad Scruggs, whose 9-year-old daughter Hallie was one of the three children who lost their lives. Molder said the tragedy overshadowed the conference. He said First Lady Jill Biden was the keynote speaker and let the crowd know what had happened.

"There was a very large vigil to honor all of the six victims, and to just know that these events should not become a part of our normal daily life, and unfortunately, that has been the case," he said. "And so hopefully, this will serve as a wakeup call to all of those who have the ability to impact a change on these events."

The K-12 School Shooting Database has recorded 90 gun-related incidents at schools so far this year. Including the deaths in Nashville this week, 75 people have been killed or injured in 2023, not including the shooters.

Columbia is 40 miles south of Nashville, with a population of about 40,000.

Molder said one theme of the National League of Cities Conference was making sure that leaders are using every available resource from the federal government, including American Rescue Plan Act funds. He said ARPA money is being put to use in his city.

"Columbia, specifically, is in the process of its largest capital infrastructure project in history for the city. That's a $60 million wastewater treatment plant expansion and improvement project," he said. "And fortunately for us, approximately $5 million flowed down from ARP funds to allow us to sort of jumpstart that project."

Molder said the conference provided the opportunity for mayors to visit Capitol Hill, where he met with Tennessee senators and heard from Cabinet secretaries and other federal leaders.

An Arkansas mayor joined city leaders from across the country for the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference in the nation's capital this week, and discussed some of the most pressing issues facing communities, from transportation to public safety.

Jonas Anderson, mayor of Cave City and president of the Arkansas Municipal League, focused on education, cybersecurity, and workforce training, but said infrastructure took the spotlight. He pointed out federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act is being put to use at home in Cave City.

"And we were able to utilize those funds to make some major improvements in our water and sewer system," Anderson explained. "We've actually been doing that the last couple of years, we just wrapped up one project on that we're looking forward to doing another one this summer"

The American Rescue Plan Act allocated nearly $2.6 billion to Arkansas for COVID-19 response needs, fill revenue shortfalls, and address the unequal impact of the pandemic on certain populations. The money must be used by Dec. 31, 2024.

As a rural community with fewer than 2,000 residents, Anderson acknowledged Cave City faces funding challenges based on its small population and added he is working with area partners to seek additional money for a revitalization project.

"We've purchased a few historic properties in our old downtown section," Anderson outlined. "We're actually going to renovate those and convert those into City Hall offices, police department building for them to utilize, and then we're going to use one as a kind of a public space pocket park area."

Anderson added Cave City and its partners are also seeking local and federal funds for other projects, and applying for recreation and tourism grants.


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Idaho students are not letting their right to vote with a school ID go down without a fight.

Earlier this month, state lawmakers passed legislation to prohibit the use of student IDs as a valid form of identification when voting.

Matt Gordon, an attorney representing the groups Babe Vote and March for Our Lives Idaho, which filed suit to challenge the law, said it is a direct attack on Idaho students' ability to vote.

"When you remove a form of identification that students have and that they can show at the polls for voting, that does make it harder for some students to vote, particularly students for whom that is the only form of acceptable identification that they might have to show at the polls," Gordon contended.

Gordon noted the legislation comes at a time when youth voter registration has surged. An analysis of 2022 compared with 2018 found registration for people ages 18 and 19 in the state jumped 81%, the highest in the nation. Lawmakers who supported the bill said it is needed to counter voter fraud.

However, Gordon noted lawmakers, as well as the Secretary of State, could not cite any cases to support this claim.

"The evidence just isn't there," Gordon argued. "They presented no evidence of any fraud associated with the use of student IDs to vote."

Gordon added the aim is to have this case resolved before the 2024 election, so students understand what kind of identification they need, or need to obtain, to vote next year.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.


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