Secretary of State Dan A. Gwadosky will participate in a League of Women Voters’ forum on Election Reform at the Blue Hill Town Hall on Wednesday, April 4, 2001 at 1:00 p.m.  The League of Women Voters Downeast is coordinating this event.   Secretary Gwadosky’s presentation--Election Reform - A Local and National Perspective--will provide both a national and local discussion on the topic of election reform.  

The November 2000 election provided our country with an opportunity to discuss many issues surrounding our electoral process and underlined the importance of civic participation.   Election reform is a topic currently receiving much national attention with over 30 different bills being considered by Congress.   While the State of Maine generally leads the nation in ballot access and in voter turnout, there are also several bills before the Maine Legislature that attempt to improve our current process.

The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) has long advocated for improvements to the electoral process.  NASS recently adopted a 12-point bi-partisan election reform resolution that addresses many issues that arose during the 2000-election cycle.  The resolution provides general guidelines and goals that each state and its election officials should pursue to ensure fair and accurate elections.

This forum is sponsored by a number of Hancock County civic groups and media organizations including--

     League of Women Voters of Maine Education Fund
     League of Women Voters - Downeast
     Blue Hill Public Library
     Ellsworth Public Library
     Bar Harbor Times
     The Ellsworth American
     Ellsworth Business and Professional Women
     Ellsworth Downeast Branch of the American Assoc. of University Women
     Ellsworth Kiwanis
     The Ellsworth Weekly
     The Enterprise
     The Weekly Packet