Maine 2025 ballot measures
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As of September 26, 2025, two statewide ballot measures were certified for the ballot in Maine for the election on November 4, 2025.
On the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Election administration; Absentee voting; Voter ID | Make changes to election law, to include requiring a voter to present photo identification to vote | |
| Question 2 | Civil trials; Firearms | Establish a process for obtaining an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) |
Getting measures on the ballot
Citizens
In Maine, citizens have the power to initiate state statutes and veto referendums, but not constitutional amendments. Initiatives are indirect in Maine, meaning that the state legislature has the option to approve an initiative without a vote of electors. Voters approved a constitutional amendment for initiative and referendum powers in 1908.
For an initiative to make the 2025 ballot, the number of valid signatures required for an initiative to make the ballot is equal to 10% of votes cast for governor in the previous gubernatorial election.[1]
Legislature
The Maine State Legislature can refer statewide ballot measures, in the form of constitutional amendments and state statutes, to the ballot. In Maine, the most common type of referred statute is the bond issue.
Maine is one of 16 states that requires a two-thirds vote in each legislative chamber during one legislative session to refer a constitutional amendment to the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 101 votes in the Maine House of Representatives and 24 votes in the Maine Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
Statutes, including bond issues, require a simple majority vote in each legislative chamber during one legislative session and the governor's signature to appear on the ballot. Section 14 of Article IX of the Maine Constitution requires that state bonds exceeding $2 million be referred to the ballot for voter approval.
Historical facts
In Maine, a total of 249 ballot measures appeared on statewide ballots between 1985 and 2022. One hundred eighty-six ballot measures were approved, and 63 ballot measures were defeated.
| Maine statewide ballot measures, 1985-2022 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number | Annual average | Annual minimum | Annual maximum | Approved | Defeated | ||
| # | % | # | % | ||||
Not on the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | Prohibit Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Program Funds From Being Used For Other Purposes Amendment | Paid sick leave laws and Revenue allocation | Require that all state revenues relating to the paid family and medical leave benefits program be used solely for the administration and costs of the program | 
|
| LRCA | Equality of Rights Amendment | Constitutional rights | Prohibit the state from denying rights based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, ancestry, or national origin | 
|
| LRCA | Establish the Right to Hunt and Fish Amendment | Constitutional rights and Hunting and fishing | Create a constitutional right to hunt and fish, and state that public hunting and fishing are the preferred means of controlling wildlife |
|
| LRCA | Require the State Auditor to be Elected by State Senators and Representatives Amendment | State executive elections | Require the state auditor be chosen by a vote, held every four years, of the state senators and representatives |
|
| VR | Repeal State Biennial Budget Referendum | Revenue allocation | Repeal the state biennial budget for 2026 and 2027 |
|
See also
External links
Footnotes
