At the very start, Maine held state elections in September, not November, and not in sync with federal elections and other states’ schedules. Maine considered the timing of the harvest and the frigid winds of winter. Maine considered what was best for its people and forged a different path. The people of Maine have a history of minding their business, and if that means the election cycle is different than cycles in other states, well, those states can just mind their own business too.
Except Maine’s early result meant something, and the rest of the country took notice. Maine was a bellwether for presidential election results.
It was the margin of victory, how big or small, and not who won that made waves throughout the entire country. Campaigners knew a nod from the great state of Maine could nudge results elsewhere and they looked to Maine for its influence.
And why not? The people of Maine have a history of leadership and a knack for getting things done.
Maine was the first state (and is now one of two) to split electoral votes. Since 1972, Maine has allocated its electoral votes based on the state’s popular vote and the results in Maine’s two congressional districts. That means Maine can split its electoral power to reflect the will of the people. This makes Maine’s voice louder and, for better or worse, brings more candidate attention — and care for our cares — to the people of Maine.
And the candidates should take note, because the people of Maine don’t turn away from hard problems.
Maine farmers, stewards of our land, sounded the alarm on PFAS. If the chemicals are in farmers’ water, they’re in their cows, and the milk and meat those cows produce. Maine, like other states, made terrible decisions about the use of PFAS-contaminated soil. But Maine is leading the way in dealing with the problem of forever chemicals, beginning in 2016 with testing and remediation efforts. There are no federal standards for PFAS in food, so Maine has set action levels for milk and beef. Maine was also the first state in the country to demand reporting on PFAS in products and move to ban the use of forever chemicals. (The federal government, just this year, set standards for drinking water.)
The people of Maine recognize how important our water and shore is to the life and livelihood of so many, and with the Gulf of Maine warming faster than 99% of the global ocean, action is happening. Maine Won’t Wait, launched in 2020, is a comprehensive climate plan designed to control carbon, protect resources and ensure nobody’s left behind in the process. Results against goals are posted for all to read, and all are invited to participate.
In the wake of the horrific carnage in Lewiston, even as families and communities struggled to wrap minds around the tragedy, a group of people took on the arduous task of piecing together timelines and factors that led up to the mass shooting in October 2023. Their work opened a conversation around traumatic brain injuries in our military service members and the coordination, communication and responsibility for care when someone struggles.
Is any of this enough?
Is any of this action the right action?
If you have PFAS in your well, if you’re still recovering from violent storms, if you’re grieving the loss of people you love, turning government wheels feel like a useless, noisy grind.
Maybe knowing that this small town of Maine stands with you is where the comfort lies. Knowing we can link arms with neighbors, for support, for care, and get hard things done is sustaining.
Yes, I’ve been at Thanksgiving dinners when even family can’t agree. Ideas are either too bold or not bold enough, too late or too much, too right or too left. And, yes, there’s always that one person who just won’t listen.
But the conversation, even when it feels broken, is where the magic starts. I want to be safe, I want my family and friends to be safe, and I want the people in my life to have access to opportunity.
I bet you want that too.
Those points in common are the buds of any plan, and it’s conversation and, maybe most important, disagreement that gets us to the beginning. So when you’re talking to that person who just doesn’t get it and you feel like you’re at the end, ask one more question. Just one more. Because curiosity. Because you never know.
I feel more hopeful for the future than wistful for the past. So many strides have been taken, and we have great minds and big hearts to meet any moment. The future is walking up behind us no matter what we do, so let’s get to know it, just like we would a new neighbor.
I believe the people of Maine can do hard things and, when given a choice between charting a course or going adrift, we chart.
And I believe one of the most powerful actions anyone can take is to vote. Vote your conscience. Vote for your children and your neighbors. Vote on Nov. 5.
The people of the great state of Maine are outstanding.
We are a beacon.
And because of the light we shine, as Maine goes, so goes the nation.
