Protecting Trust, Protecting Every Vote
- Robert Wessels
- Oct 8
- 3 min read

In light of everything that has unfolded over the past few weeks, including the discovery of hundreds of official Maine ballots delivered to a private home and the renewed debate over election safeguards, I thought it fitting to share what I had already prepared. For some time now, I’ve believed that Maine needs a voter ID law. Recent events have only confirmed that belief. Maybe it was a foolish mistake, maybe it wasn’t. Either way, it shook people’s faith, and once faith is shaken, the silence doesn’t repair it. Transparency does.
Maine people take pride in our elections. We show up, we volunteer, we trust our clerks and neighbors to run the process fairly. But trust is not a system; it’s a value that must be backed by proof. When something as serious as 250 official ballots ends up in an Amazon box instead of a clerk’s office, that’s not a small hiccup; it’s a failure of control. It shouldn’t happen, and it shouldn’t take a lucky delivery and an honest citizen to catch it. The lesson here isn’t partisan; it’s practical. A system that can’t track its own ballots needs attention before it needs excuses.
Fairness, Protection, and Accountability
Thirty-six states already require voter identification. That list includes both red states and blue states. This is not about keeping people out; it’s about keeping the process honest. It says your vote matters enough to verify. It protects your ballot from being canceled out by someone who shouldn’t be voting. That’s not suppression. That’s fairness.
Your vote is your voice. It belongs to you and no one else. Showing ID isn’t about doubting who you are. This is about protecting your rights so no one else can claim them. If someone were to walk into a polling place and say they’re you, the system should be able to tell the difference. That’s not control; that’s protection. It makes sure your ballot can never be borrowed, stolen, or replaced by someone pretending to be you. That’s the kind of security that strengthens freedom instead of weakening it.
The Newburgh incident was a warning sign. Those ballots were supposed to be under strict chain-of-custody rules—printed on secure paper, sealed, and shipped directly to town clerks. Instead, they showed up at a private home. That shouldn’t be possible, and it shouldn’t take luck and honesty to catch it. What we need now is an independent investigation. One that includes both parties, law enforcement, and outside election-security experts. We need to see what went wrong and how to fix it. Alongside that, Maine should publicly release every shipping record and custody log related to those ballots, and then adopt simple reforms such as barcode tracking, tamper-evident seals, and real-time inventory reporting by town. These are not partisan demands; they’re basic safeguards any Mainer would expect in their own business.
Trust, Verification, and Leadership
When a large part of the population believes there is voter fraud, this needs to be addressed, regardless of how likely it is or not, in order to restore trust. Avoiding the topic feeds suspicion. Confronting it builds trust. As President Reagan reminded us, “Trust, but verify.” That’s all this comes down to - faith in the system, backed by proof. When people see a process that takes its own safeguards seriously, they trust the outcome, even when their side loses. Freedom doesn’t survive on trust alone; it needs verification. And when verification is clear, confidence follows naturally.
The issue before us isn’t just about ballots or paperwork but about belief in the foundation of our democracy. When people stop trusting that their vote counts, everything in the government starts to wobble: at the state level, county level, schools, municipalities, and in the community. Maine has often been in the hands of steady people and good faith. We can still be that state, but only if we protect the integrity of the process that gives Mainers a voice.
Our motto is Dirigo, “I Lead.” It’s time for Maine to lead again by restoring confidence in our elections through transparency, accountability, and fairness. Let’s prove that trust and truth can still be brought together. Let’s show that your voice, your vote, and your freedom are all worth protecting.
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