State monitoring complaints of voter harassment in Lewiston
Early voting takes place in the Lewiston City Hall Council Chambers in October 2025. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer)
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Key Takeaways i Key Takeaways are written by Maine Trust staff and highlight the most important points of this article so you can get the gist at a glance.
- Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said Thursday her office has received complaints of intrusive behavior at the polls in Lewiston.
- Despite confrontations between members of the public and a reporter over concerns of electioneering and intimidation, no one has been asked to leave City Hall for interfering with voting, according to officials.
- Volunteers have said confrontations have made for a bad voting experience and have even caused people to turn away from the polls.
LEWISTON — The Maine Secretary of State’s Office says it has received complaints regarding “intrusive filming, photography and harassment of voters” as early voting continues at City Hall.
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said Thursday the city has taken steps to address the problem, and that her office is continuing to monitor the situation.
“All voters should be able to exercise their right to vote without feeling watched, questioned, or harassed, and we take these allegations seriously, particularly when it appears that voters were targeted for no other reason than their race or ethnicity,” Bellows said in a statement.
The complaints come as local Republicans and a right-wing media operation say they witnessed interpreters act inappropriately while they accompany residents to the polls.
House District 94 Republican candidate Janet Beaudoin, who faces Democrat Scott Harriman in the Nov. 3 race, said at the City Council meeting Tuesday that an interpreter said he’d tell the person he was helping to voter for her if she was a Democrat.
“It raised a serious concern about whether the voter was being encouraged to vote for a candidate,” she said. “Language assistance is a must for those who need it. I’m not disputing that. My concern is that interpreters are using their position near a voter to influence that person’s choice.”
The Maine Wire has come under scrutiny for its activities at the Lewiston polls. Several voters have claimed its reporters have been staking out the polls and harassing voters as they try to cast their ballots with the help of interpreters.
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Videos have been circulating on social media showing a confrontation at the polls between local advocate and former city councilor Safiya Khalid and a Maine Wire reporter.
Steve Robinson, editor-in-chief of the Maine Wire, denies any wrongdoing, and said in a video podcast Tuesday that his organization’s presence is needed at the polls to make sure interpreters are acting appropriately.
The interpreters, Robinson said, are part of a “busing operation that is bringing in jobless Somali bums to vote.”
City Hall now has notices posted advising building visitors that since City Hall is a voting place, video recording and photography is prohibited within 15 feet of voters per state statute.
“As such, no videos or pictures may be taken in the Council Chambers or first floor of City Hall if a voter is within 15 feet,” the notice says, also providing that “voter selfies” are allowed as long as the voter is taking their own picture.
Many of those coming out early to vote do not speak English, so they are being accompanied by aides to help interpret their ballots.
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City Clerk Kathy Montejo said it is common practice for groups including nonprofits to assist voters in getting to the polls and providing interpreting services, but that there is a state statute guiding that role.
Under the law, which is provided to aides at the polls, a voter has the right to select their aide and an aide cannot assist a voter unless their help is requested.
Aides cannot influence a voter’s choice or direct a voter to cast their vote in any way. They are informed before signing the absentee ballot as an aide that they are to read and translate out loud, and cannot discuss a ballot’s contents.
Thus far this election cycle, Montejo said she has not had to ask anyone, interpreter or otherwise, to leave the building.
Taste of Heritage owner Hussein Ahmed is one of many volunteers this year who said he is donating his time to shuttle people to the polls to vote. Ahmed said the general experience of voting this year has been so poor that several residents have turned back without voting, especially older voters.
Among others, he blames the Maine Wire’s presence at the polls as the root cause of the unease.
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“They make the whole area so noisy, violating required distance, and they’re making it hard for the employees there,” Ahmed said. “People who look a certain way are being followed with cameras. It’s a very deliberate effort by a certain group of people. It’s really getting out of hand.
“This has never happened in all the time we have been voting. If someone could look into this we would appreciate it,” Ahmed continued. “I do this out of good will for my community — I want people to exercise their rights no matter who they vote for.”
Mayor Carl Sheline has encouraged residents to continue voting and to report all instances of harassment to the city clerk. He said in a Facebook post Thursday that the actions against interpreters at City Hall appear to be a “coordinated campaign of voter intimidation and suppression.”
“While people may hold different political opinions, everyone has the right to feel safe and secure when casting their ballot. Attempting to intimidate voters or suppress participation is the antithesis of democracy,” he said.
The ACLU of Maine reported Friday that it, along with other nonpartisan partners like the League of Women Voters of Maine, is monitoring the situation as the city and secretary of state are addressing the issue.
“We’re keeping our ear to the ground and paying close attention to make sure all eligible voters have the information and confidence they need to cast a ballot — no matter who it may be for,” ACLU of Maine spokesperson Samuel Crankshaw said.
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Tagged: election 2026, key takeaways, voting rights
Joe Charpentier joined the Sun Journal in 2022 and covers the communities of Auburn, Lewiston and Poland. His previous experience was in a variety of rural Midcoast beats which included government, education,. More by Joe Charpentier
