Maine signature requirements
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In Maine, a voter may sign for more than one candidate running for the same office in a federal, state or county election. However, a voter may sign each candidate’s petition only once.[1] Also, the circulator of a petition does not have to be a Maine resident or Maine registered voter.[1]
Federal offices
U.S. Senate
Partisan candidates for U.S. Senate are required to submit 2,000-3,000 signatures. [1] Non-party candidates for U.S. Senate are required to submit 4,000 - 6,000 signatures.[1]
U.S. House
Partisan candidates for U.S. House are required to submit 1,000-1,500 signatures. [1] Non-party candidates for U.S. House are required to submit 2,000 - 3,000 signatures.[1]
Filing deadlines
2012
Partisan candidates were required to submit their declaration of candidacy and petitions to the Maine Secretary of State by March 15, 2012.[1] Non-party candidates were required to submit their declaration of candidacy and petitions to the Maine Secretary of State by June 1, 2012.[1]
State offices
Statewide executive offices
Maine will not hold any state executive official elections in 2012.
State legislature
Partisan candidates for State Senate are required to submit 100-150 signatures. [1] Non-party candidates for State Senate are required to submit 200-300 signatures.[1]
Partisan candidates for State House are required to submit 25-40 signatures. [1] Non-party candidates for State House are required to submit 50-80 signatures.[1]
Filing deadlines
2012
Partisan candidates were required to submit their declaration of candidacy and petitions to the Maine Secretary of State by March 15, 2012.[1] Non-party candidates were required to submit their declaration of candidacy and petitions to the Maine Secretary of State by June 1, 2012.[1]
Ballot Measures
Maine signature requirements are based on the number of votes cast for the office of Governor of Maine in the most recent gubernatorial election. Constitutional amendments are not permitted through the initiative process in Maine.
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- Indirect initiated state statutes, which earn a spot on the ballot when sponsors collect signatures according to the laws governing the initiative process in Maine. In Maine, which became the first state east of the Mississippi to adopt a constitutional provision for statewide initiative in 1908, all initiatives are indirect.
- Veto referenda. When citizens of Maine disagree with a statute or legislative bill enacted by the state legislature, they can collect signatures to force the issue to a vote. If enough signatures are collected, the bill is placed on the statewide ballot. In Maine, the veto referendum process is known as the "People's Veto." Twenty-seven such measures have appeared on Maine ballots, from the first in 1910 to the most recent in 2008. See List of People's Veto ballot measures in Maine.
- Legislatively-referred constitutional amendments. These are voted onto the ballot when both houses of the Maine State Legislature agree to put them on the ballot by a 2/3rds vote. See List of amendments to the Maine Constitution.
- Bonding propositions placed on the ballot by the state legislature.
- Legislatively-referred state statutes. Appears on a state's ballot as a ballot measure because the state legislature in that state voted to put it before the voters.
Signature requirements
The signature requirements as follows: The required number of valid signatures for both statewide initiatives and referendums are the same. It is tied to the number of votes cast for the office of the Governor of Maine in the most recent gubernatorial election. Gubernatorial elections are held in Maine every four years. The requirement is 10% of the total votes cast for governor (excluding blanks) in the most recent election (2010) as established in Article 4, Part Third, Section 18, sub-section 2 of the Maine Constitution.[2][3]
| Year | Initiated statute | Veto referendum |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 57,277 | 57,277 |
| 2012 | 57,277 | 57,277 |
| 2011 | 57,277 | 57,277 |
| 2010 | 55,087 | 55,087 |
| 2008 | 55,087 | 55,087 |
See law: Maine Constitution, Article IV, Part 3, Section 18
Basis for calculation
In the state's 2010 gubernatorial election, 572,766 votes were cast, versus the 550,870 votes that were cast in the state's 2006 gubernatorial election.[4] The number of required signatures will change again after the state's 2014 gubernatorial election.
Filing deadlines
Ballot initiatives
The deadline for filing initiative and referenda signatures was changed in 2006 when Maine Initiative Petition Deadlines Amendment (2006) was approved and added to the Maine Constitution.
According to Article 4, Part Third, Section 18, sub-section 2, the filing deadlines for initiatives are:
- First Regular Session: By 5:00 p.m. on or before the 50th day after the convening of the Legislature. The first regular session convenes on the first Wednesday of December following the General Election.
- Second Regular Session: By 5:00 p.m. on or before the 25th day after the convening of the Legislature. The second regular session convenes on the first Wednesday after the first Tuesday in January in the even-numbered year following the General Election. For 2011, the deadline was January 20, 2011[5].
Although petition sponsors have eighteen months from the time they are authorized to circulate, the above deadlines are their absolute deadline for a given election period. Also, signatures lose their validity if they are dated more than one year prior to the date the petition is officially filed with the Maine Secretary of State.
2012
The filing deadline for initiative petitions for the November 6, 2012 ballot was January 30, 2012.[6]
2011
The filing deadline for initiative petitions for the November 8, 2011 ballot was January 20, 2011.
Referenda
The filing deadline for a people's veto referendum petition is by 5 p.m. on the 90th day after adjournment of the legislative session at which the Act was passed.
See also
- Laws governing the initiative process in Maine
- States where signature requirements are based on votes cast for governor
- Statewide elections, 2012
- 2012 election dates
- Election result resources
- Voter guides
- State Blue Books
External links
- Current Deadlines for Citizen Initiatives, including signature requirements, from the Maine Secretary of State
- Maine signature requirements collated by the Citizens in Charge Foundation
- Citizen's Initiative and People's Veto from the Maine Secretary of State
- Maine 2012 Candidates Guide
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Maine Candidate Guide 2012 "Major Party Candidates" Accessed April 24, 2012
- ↑ Maine initiative signature requirement
- ↑ Signature requirement for veto referenda
- ↑ Maine 2010 Official Election Results
- ↑ Maine Secretary of State "2011 Initiative Deadlines"
- ↑ Maine Secretary of State, "Citizen Initiative Application Packet"
