Secretary Gwadosky s presentation will include information on national and state election reform efforts, including the National Association of Secretaries of State election reform resolution, as well as a comparison of the Florida and Maine election procedures. The resolution provides general guidelines and goals that each state and its election officials should pursue to ensure fair and accurate elections. Secretary Gwadosky is a member of the NASS Executive Committee and serves as treasurer of the organization. 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, stated Secretary Gwadosky.
Election reform is a topic currently receiving much national and local attention.
While the State of Maine generally leads the nation in ballot access and in voter turnout, there are several bills before the Maine Legislature this session that attempt to improve our current process. The Secretary of State s Elections Division oversees the statewide election process in a unique partnership with 520 municipalities. Since training is a key component to conducting successful elections, the Department of the Secretary of State has been holding a voluntary conference for municipal election officials for the past eight years. The Elections Conference has proven to be an excellent opportunity for municipal clerks, registrars, and other election officials to receive training and to share experiences and information. It also provides attendees with changes to the election law adopted during the current Legislative session.