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Maine 2021 ballot measures
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In 2021, three statewide ballot measures were on the ballot in Maine for November 2. Voters approved each of the three ballot measures.
On the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IndISS | Question 1 | Energy | Prohibits the construction of electric transmission lines in the Upper Kennebec Region and requires a two-thirds vote of each state legislative chamber to approve electric transmission line projects defined as high-impact |  |
| BI | Question 2 | Bonds | Issues $100 million in bonds for transportation infrastructure | |
| LRCA | Question 3 | Constitutional Rights | Creates a state constitutional right to a produce, harvest, and consume food | |
Summary of campaign contributions
- See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2021
The following chart illustrates how much support and opposition committees received in campaign contributions for each measure on the ballot:
| Ballot Measure | Support Contributions | Oppose Contributions | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Question 1, Electric Transmission Line Restrictions and Legislative Approval Initiative (2021) | $27,945,525.92 | $71,959,827.12 |
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| Maine Question 2, Transportation Infrastructure Bond Issue (2021) | $0.00 | $0.00 |
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| Maine Question 3, Right to Produce, Harvest, and Consume Food Amendment (2021) | $44,421.35 | $28,580.00 |
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Cost per required signature
- See also: Ballot measure signature costs, 2021
The following chart illustrates how much was spent on petition gathering and the cost-per-required-signature (CPRS) to get citizen-initiated measures on the ballot:
| Ballot Measure | Topic | Petition Companies | Cost | Signatures | CPRS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Question 1, Electric Transmission Line Restrictions and Legislative Approval Initiative (2021) | Energy transmission projects | Revolution Field Strategies | $2,048,794.68 | 63,067 | $32.49 |
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.
In 2021, 63,067 signatures were required for initiatives and veto referendums in Maine. The signature requirement was based on 10 percent of the votes cast for governor in 2018.
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
- See also: List of Maine ballot measures
Between 1985 and 2020, the following occurred:
- Ballots featured 146 ballot measures.
- An average of five or six measures appeared on odd-year statewide ballots in Maine.
- An average of one citizen-initiated statute appeared on odd-year statewide ballots in Maine.
- Voters approved 78 percent (114 of 146) and rejected 28 percent (32 of 146) of the ballot measures.
- Voters approved 40 percent (21 of 35) and rejected 60 percent (21 of 35) of the citizen-initiated statutes.
| Ballot measures in Maine, 1995-2020 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Total number | Approved | Percent approved | Defeated | Percent defeated | Odd-year average | Odd-year median | Odd-year minimum | Odd-year maximum | |
| All measures | 146 | 114 | 78.1% | 31 | 21.9% | 5.9 | 6.0 | 2 | 9 | |
| Initiated statutes | 35 | 14 | 40.0% | 21 | 60.0% | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Veto referendums | 8 | 6 | 75.0% | 2 | 25.0% | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Amendments | 16 | 12 | 75.0% | 4 | 25.0% | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0 | 3 | |
| Bond issues | 83 | 80 | 96.4% | 3 | 3.6% | 3.4 | 4.0 | 0 | 6 | |
Not on the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | Allow for Early Voting Amendment | Voting | Allows for the legislature to provide for an early voting period | 
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| LRCA | Environmental Rights Amendment | Constitutional Rights | Creates a state constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment | 
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| LRSS | Creation of Pine Tree Power Company Measure | Energy | Creates a state-established, consumer-owned electric utility company called the Pine Tree Power Company |
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| IndISS | Teacher Collective Bargaining for Class Sizes and Preparation Time Initiative | Unions | Adds class sizes and planning and preparation periods to the list of matters subject to collective bargaining agreements |
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| IndISS | Citizen Requirement for Voting Initiative | Suffrage | Provides that only a person, rather than a person, who meets requirements, including citizenship, can vote |
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Local ballot measures
- See also: Maine 2021 local ballot measures
Click here to read about local 2021 ballot measures in Maine.
See also
External links
Footnotes
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