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Maine Signature Certification Amendment, Question 7 (2009)

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Maine Constitution
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Preamble • I • II • III • IV-I • IV-II • IV-III • V-I • V-II • V-III • VI • VII • VIII-I • VIII-II • IX • X
Maine Signature Certification Amendment appeared on the November 3, 2009 ballot in Maine as a legislatively-referred constitutional amendment where it was defeated. The measure proposed to increase the amount of time for officials to certify signatures on direct initiative petitions.[1]

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Meredith Strang Burgess. The House passed the bill on May 12, 2009 and the Senate both passed the bill on June 12, 2009.[2]

Election results

Question 7 was defeated as of November 4, 2009 at 2:05 a.m. EST.[3]

Maine Question 7
ResultVotesPercentage
Defeatedd No252,64752.20%
Yes 231,359 47.80%

Ballot summary

According to state officials, the ballot question appeared as follows:[1]

Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to increase the amount of time that local officials have to certify the signatures on direct initiative petitions?

Donors

No support or opposition groups registered with the state ethics commission to raise or spend money for the measure.[4][5]

Media editorial positions

Main article: Endorsements of Maine ballot measures, 2009

Editorial boards in support

  • The Bangor Daily News supported Question 7. In an editorial they said,"Democratic passions may drive the people who work to put citizen initiatives on the ballot. But it’s city and town clerks and their assistants who labor at verifying that the signatures on the petitions are those of registered voters. Approving Question 7 will make the clerks’ work a little easier."[6]
  • The Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel supported Question 7. They said,"Recently, backers of more than one issue have turned in petitions at the same time, trying to beat the same deadlines. It may take months to gather the signatures, but the state constitution gives the clerks only five days to check each one against other records. The pressure this puts on clerk's offices is intense and unreasonable. Doubling the time they have to process the petitions makes a lot of sense. Voters should give the clerks time to do their jobs and vote "yes" on Question 7."[7]
  • The Seacoast Media Group supported Question 7. They said,"This is another no-brainer. It gives town and city clerks more time to process petitions by residents who want to put a citizen's initiative to a statewide vote. Clerks are responsible for verifying petition signatures, and this measure would increase the window for verification from five to 10 days. Vote YES."[8]
  • The Brunswick Times Record supported Question 7. They said,"We encourage a “yes” vote on this reasonable constitutional amendment, which already has received the endorsement of both branches of the Legislature."[9]

See also

 		Suggest a link


External links


Additional reading

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Maine Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions,"Upcoming Elections," retrieved August 25, 2009
  2. ↑ Maine Legislature,"Status Summary of LD 1145," retrieved August 25, 2009
  3. ↑ Bangor Daily News,"2009 Election Results," last retrieved November 4, 2009
  4. ↑ Maine Campaign Finance, "Question 7 funds", retrieved October 29, 2009
  5. ↑ Follow the Money, Question 7"
  6. ↑ Bangor Daily News,"Yes on Question 7," October 23, 2009
  7. ↑ Morning Sentinel,"Vote 'yes' for bond, clerks; 'no' on marijuana," October 26, 2009
  8. ↑ Seacoast Media Group,"Our take on state ballot questions," October 28, 2009
  9. ↑ The Brunswick Record,"‘Yes’ on Question 7," October 28, 2009
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