As Secretary of State Shenna Bellows launches her campaign to succeed Gov. Janet Mills (D-Maine) in 2026, she has not resigned from her current position. A failed 2023 bill could have forced her resignation to avoid a conflict of interest.

“The sanctity of our elections is extremely important to me, as it should be to all of you on this committee. The Secretary of State oversees our elections here in Maine and l feel that it is a conflict of interest for the Secretary of State to be overseeing the ballots for their own election to another office in government. The State and Local Government Committee has an opportunity to fix this, and I urge you to pass this bill unanimously out of committee,” said former state Rep. John Andrews (R-Paris) in presenting his 2023 bill.

The straightforward bill, LD 484, simply required the Secretary of State to resign before becoming a political candidate for any office, and initially drew support from ten co-sponsors, including both Republicans and Democrats, along with former Independent Rep. Walter Riseman (I-Harrison).

No one appeared to testify in person on the bill during its public hearing, but three testimonies were submitted in writing, all in favor of the proposal.

The conservative Maine Policy Institute supported the bill.

“Unfortunately, since our current SoS, and several former (officeholders), have been elected from the Legislature itself, the state legislature must ensure that no perception of impropriety may exist in the election process. Our democratic mechanisms are too important to be ceded to partisan administrators,” said the Institute at the time.

The left-leaning Maine League of Women Voters also joined in supporting the bill, suggesting that the proposed policy was truly bipartisan.

“The League of Women Voters believes that responsible government should be responsive to the will of the people and that it should be free from undue influence, corruption, and the appearance of corruption. We support measures that encourage governmental ethics and that give citizens confidence that public affairs are being conducted in the public’s best interests,” they said.

Despite bipartisan support, the bill was sent out of the Committee on State and Local Government with an “ought not to pass” recommendation and failed in the broader legislature.

Now, with Bellows announcing her bid for governor, questions of conflict of interest are sure to reemerge, raising concerns that she will be presiding over her own election, putting her in a position to potentially influence the results. By retaining her current office while seeking the governorship, she could easily foster the perception of using taxpayer-funded resources of the Secretary of State to further her personal political aspirations.

Disclaimer: The Maine Wire is a project of the Maine Policy Institute. Former State Rep. John Andrews is a regular contributor to The Maine Wire.