Maine 2026 ballot measures
As of March 22, 2026, no statewide ballot measures were certified for the ballot in Maine for the election on November 3, 2026.
Potential measures
| Name | Type | Subject | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Birth Certificate Sex Requirement for Public School Sports Initiative (2026) | Sex and gender; LGBTQ; Public education governance; Athletics | Require that public school sports teams designated for girls or boys be limited to students of the corresponding sex, as recorded on their birth certificate | |
| Maine Equality of Rights Amendment (2026) | 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 | |
| Maine Require the State Auditor to be Elected by State Senators and Representatives Amendment (2026) | State executive elections | Require the state auditor be chosen by a vote, held every four years, of the state senators and representatives | |
| Maine Right to Hunt and Fish Amendment (2026) | Right to hunt and fish | Create a constitutional right to hunt and fish, and state that public hunting and fishing are the preferred means of controlling wildlife |
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
- See also: List of Maine ballot measures
Maine statewide ballot measures
In Maine, a total of 262 ballot measures appeared on statewide ballots between 1985 and 2024. Voters approved 195 ballot measures, and defeated 67 ballot measures.
| Maine statewide ballot measures, 1985-2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number | Annual average | Annual minimum | Annual maximum | Approved | Defeated | ||
| # | % | # | % | ||||
Ballot initiative certification rates
The following table shows the rate of certification for ballot initiatives in Maine between 2010 and 2024:
See also
External links
Footnotes
