Building a Voter Education Tool in Maine - and Looking for Guidance
My blog has been quiet for a while—too quiet—but for good reasons. One of them is that over the past few months, I’ve been pouring my heart and energy into a project I believe could make a real difference for Maine voters: Pine Tree Key, a nonpartisan voter education tool designed to help people compare their views with the policy positions of candidates.
Think of it as an issue-based quiz—answer questions on key topics, and see which candidates’ views align most closely with yours. There’s no spin, no endorsements, no hidden agenda—just clear, transparent, side-by-side information drawn from candidate responses and verified public sources.
I built Pine Tree Key with Maine’s 2026 Gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races in mind. My vision is to create a tool that is clear, transparent, and fair, drawing directly from candidates’ personal responses and official sources—all while remaining fully nonpartisan.
The Roadblock
Because this is a new type of resource for Maine, I want to ensure Pine Tree Key complies with all relevant election laws—especially around neutrality, fairness, and the use of candidate information. To gain clarity, I reached out to the Maine Secretary of State’s Office and the Bureau of Corporations, Elections, and Commissions to ask for guidance on how such a tool could fit within existing rules.
In parallel, I’ve been exploring pro bono legal assistance, but so far, I haven’t been able to get the specific guidance I need or the clarity I’m looking for. Without it—and without the budget to hire an attorney—it’s been hard to move forward with confidence, not knowing that I’m on solid legal ground.
Why I’m Sharing This
I’m sharing this here not as criticism, but because I think open conversation is essential when citizens work on civic innovation. Tools like Pine Tree Key can only succeed if they’re built on a solid understanding of the law—and that’s something I know many others have navigated before.
So, I’m hoping to hear from you:
Have you worked on a voter education or civic tech project in Maine (or elsewhere) that needed to comply with state election law?
Do you know of resources or organizations—especially those offering pro bono legal assistance—that could help in interpreting the rules for nonpartisan tools to ensure my tool aligns with Maine’s election law?
If you’ve worked on similar projects or know how to navigate Maine’s election law for nonpartisan tools, I’d love to hear from you—either through the comment section below or via email.
The more clarity we can gather, the better we can create tools that empower Maine voters—together.
