Putting a cap on student debt
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exhausted after helping collect more than 73,000 signatures. |
We just had a major victory for affordable college here in Maine!
Here's how it went down. Just over a year ago a student named Andy came to the Portland League with a problem. Many of his friends were dropping out of college – or never even enrolling – because, financially, not going to college was the right thing to do. Messed up isn't it? The burden of student debt is just too much.
Anyway, Andy knew that the League had young people's backs across the state. After all, he worked alongside the League in 2005 when Mainers decidedly defeated an anti-gay initiative. And it was during that "Maine Won't Discriminate" campaign that Andy and the League both decided, hey, why not use the citizens initiative process for good?
Eventually Andy and the League hooked up. Together we created what would later become Opportunity Maine. And then Opportunity Maine created a question: "Do you want to allow tax credits for college loan repayments?"
The League love affair grew as people answered yes and acknowledged that student debt is a huge problem. It wasn't long before petitions were printed and circulated by hundreds of Mainers from all walks of life.
Labor leaders were working alongside business leaders, and single Moms were kickin' it with crazy college kidz. Next thing we knew, higher education and student debt had become the hottest issues of the year.
With a mission to empower young people to become political players, the League was thrilled to see an ever-growing statewide movement get behind Opportunity Maine. And we were proud that young people were helping lead.
Over 73,000 signatures and 12,166 volunteer hours later, Maine voters are now in a position to lead the way in solving the student debt problem. Because of the hard work of a team of fierce organizers that crossed every political, geographic and demographic divide, the Opportunity Maine question will be on this November's ballot: "Do you want to allow tax credits for college loan repayments?"
Finally, progressives united behind a high-profile vote of "Yes!"
More later,
Alec
