LEWISTON, Maine — Federal authorities are investigating after surveillance video from the city's early voting site appears to show Somali "translators" repeatedly violating Maine election law — approaching voters unprompted, handling their ballots, and coaching them on how to cast their votes.
The footage, obtained by The Maine Wire under the state's Freedom of Access Act, covers 140 hours of early in-person voting at Lewiston City Hall beginning October 13. It shows a steady stream of voters in traditional Muslim garb being escorted by aides working for a left-wing nonprofit that provides "translation" services — aides who, according to the video, often appear to fill out ballots on the voters' behalf.
Under Maine law, a voter may request a translator, but the rules are strict: translators cannot offer assistance unasked, cannot influence a voter's choices, and cannot touch or mark a ballot. The video appears to show all three prohibitions being broken, repeatedly.
One clip shows a woman in traditional Somali dress conversing comfortably in English with a poll worker — then requiring a "translator" moments later to help her vote. The same clip shows the translator handing the woman's ballot to her, which is illegal under state law.
U.S. Attorney for Maine Andrew Benson confirmed his office is reviewing the evidence. "We review all evidence concerning complaints of voter intimidation and election interference, including the video from Lewiston's early voting at City Hall," Benson told The Robinson Report. "We will not tolerate threats to the integrity of our elections, and we look forward to working with the Attorney General's Office and the Secretary of State's office to defend our democracy."
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she was troubled by the reports. "Certainly only Americans should be voting in American elections," Collins said, according to a Daily Mail report cited by WorldNetDaily. "It is troubling to me if people are being accompanied into voting booths and handling ballots in a way that is not sanctioned by law."
Lewiston has absorbed a massive influx of Somali migrants since 2002 and now holds one of the highest Somali populations in New England. The Maine Wire reported that the "translators" are known to run buses from housing complexes to the polls and to instruct voters on how to vote — a practice that, if confirmed, would amount to industrial-scale electioneering inside a polling place.
The story first went viral last week after reporter Jon Fetherston published photographs raising questions about the dozen or more NGO staffers working the early voting room. Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline responded by moving to block photojournalists from documenting the violations — but the city's own CCTV cameras kept rolling. The Maine Wire noted that Sheline, who spent $40,000 of his own money to win a $7,000-a-year mayoral job, has been a close ally of the clan-based NGO network operating in the city.
The revelations have also drawn attention to a separate incident: The Maine Wire caught Democrat State Rep. Scott Harriman conducting a political demonstration inside an early voting location, itself a violation of state election law.
Social media users amplified the footage this week. X user @SteveRob posted: "Hundreds of illiterate Somalis were guided into the polls in Lewiston over the last two weeks by 'translators' who often appeared to be filling out ballots on behalf of voters. The U.S. Attorney for Maine says he's investigating."
The allegations echo a separate controversy in Minnesota, where a state official was recorded telling Somali residents they could show up to vote without proof of citizenship or prior registration — a claim that, if accurate, conflicts with federal law.
Maine's Secretary of State has not announced a formal findings report, and no charges have been filed. It is not yet known how many ballots may have been affected or whether the NGO involved received public funding.
Our Take
This is what election integrity looks like when the cameras are finally allowed to see it. For years, Americans have been told that voter fraud is a myth — a conspiracy theory peddled by sore losers. Then a small Maine news outlet files a public records request, and suddenly there's 140 hours of footage showing "translators" with their hands on other people's ballots.
Notice the pattern. The mayor tried to shut out photographers. The NGO calls it "translation." The legacy media yawns. And the only reason we know any of this is because The Maine Wire did the work the so-called watchdogs refused to do.
The question every patriot should be asking tonight: how many other Lewistons are out there, in cities where nobody filed the FOAA request and nobody rolled the CCTV tape? If it can happen in broad daylight in Maine, it is happening in the dark in a dozen states right now.
The DOJ probe is a start. But investigations are not accountability. Ask your county clerk what the translator rules are at your polling place — and ask why nobody is watching.
