Program speakers Patti Dubois, Beth Allen, and Shenna Bellows (l-r) field an audience member’s question about Maine’s election safeguards. (Photo Credit: Dennis Boyd)

On the evening of Feb. 11, upwards of 100 people gathered at Gorham’s First Parish Congregational Church to hear Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and others speak about the state of free, fair, and secure elections in Maine. Organized by Indivisible Cumberland County, the program focused on the state’s election processes and constitutionally guaranteed voting rights. Beth Allen, co-executive director of the Maine Votes / Maine Voters Network; and Patti Dubois, a member of the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections, as well as Waterville, Maine’s municipal clerk and member of the Maine Town & City Clerks’ Association, rounded out the speaker list.

Following informative presentations about the state of election integrity in Maine, the speakers fielded more than a dozen questions from audience members. Although many citizens voiced concerns about voter suppression and federal overreach, Secretary Bellows, a Democratic candidate for governor in 2026, emphasized her faith in the mechanics of voting in Maine and challenged the audience to raise their voices on policy issues and to exercise their right to vote.