Maine Question 4, University of Maine System Bond Issue (2018)
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 16, or Nov. 6 (in-person)
- Early voting: When ballots become available through Nov. 1
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: No
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Voter ID: No
- Poll times: 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
| Maine Question 4 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 6, 2018 | |
| Topic Bond issues and Education | |
Status Approved | |
| Type Bond issue | Origin State Legislature |
Maine Question 4, the University of Maine System Bond Issue, was on the ballot in Maine as a legislatively referred bond question on November 6, 2018. The measure was approved.
| A "yes" vote supported authorizing $49 million in general obligation bonds for the construction and remodeling of existing and new facilities within the University of Maine System. |
| A "no" vote opposed authorizing $49 million in general obligation bonds for the construction and remodeling of existing and new facilities within the University of Maine System. |
Contents
Election results
|
Maine Question 4 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
|
|
340,743 | 54.16% | ||
| No | 288,455 | 45.84% | ||
Overview
What was Question 4 bond money intended for?
Question 4 authorized $49 million in general obligation bonds for the construction and remodeling of existing and new facilities within the University of Maine System that are intended to expand the system's workforce development capacities and attract and retain students. To receive funds from the bond revenue, projects needed to be matched by other public or private funds. The 16-member University of Maine System Board of Trustees was made responsible for approving what projects are eligible for bond revenue. As of 2018, the governor appoints 15 of the board's 16 members.[1]
What were recent bond measures on the ballot in Maine?
Voters of Maine cast ballots on 33 bond issues, totaling $1.12 billion in value, between January 1, 2007, and January 1, 2018. All but one bond issue question was approved. This 2018 bond measure was designed to issue bonds related to higher education. There were five other bond issues addressing transportation on the ballot during the 11 previous years. Four of the five measures were approved, issuing a combined total of $94.00 million in bonds.
How much debt did Maine have from voter-approved bonds?
As of June 30, 2017, Maine had $460.24 million in debt from voter-issued bonds. The June 2017 debt from general obligation bonds was higher than the June 2016 debt, which was $380.99 million. During the period between January 1, 2007, and January 1, 2018, debt from general obligation bonds peaked at $529.99 million in 2009 and was at a $369.73 million low in 2013.
Text of measure
Ballot question
The ballot question was as follows:[1]
| “ |
Do you favor a $49,000,000 bond issue to be matched by at least $49,000,000 in private and public funds to modernize and improve the facilities and infrastructure of Maine's public universities in order to expand workforce development capacity and to attract and retain students to strengthen Maine's economy and future workforce?[2] |
” |
Readability score
- See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2018
| Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title and summary for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The secretary of state wrote the ballot language for this measure.
In 2018, for the 167 statewide measures on the ballot, the average ballot title or question was written at a level appropriate for those with between 19 and 20 years of U.S. formal education (graduate school-level of education), according to the FKGL formula. Read Ballotpedia's entire 2018 ballot language readability report here. |
Campaign finance
| Total campaign contributions: | |
| Support: | $0.00 |
| Opposition: | $0.00 |
No ballot question committees registered to support or oppose the bond measure.[3]
Background
Bond issues on the ballot in Maine
- See also: Bond issues on the ballot
Voters of Maine cast ballots on 34 bond issues, totaling $1,122,925,000 in value, from January 1, 2007, through January 1, 2018. All but one bond issue, an $11 million bond to expand the state's community college system, was approved. This means that Mainers approved 97 percent of bond issues on the ballot between 2007 and 2017.
Prior to the election on November 6, 2018, the most recent bond issue that citizens voted on was a $105 million transportation bond titled Question 3.
The following table contains information on the 34 bond issues that appeared on the ballot in Maine between 2007 and 2018:
| Year | Measure | Amount | Primary purpose | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 (June) | Question 1 | $112,975,000 | Transportation projects |
|
| 2007 (June) | Question 2 | $18,300,000 | Water facilities |
|
| 2007 | Question 2 | $55,000,000 | Economic development |
|
| 2007 | Question 3 | $43,500,000 | Higher education |
|
| 2007 | Question 4 | $35,500,000 | Environmental conservation and recreation |
|
| 2008 (June) | Question 1 | $29,725,000 | Water facilities and transportation projects |
|
| 2008 | Question 3 | $3,400,000 | Water facilities |
|
| 2009 | Question 6 | $71,250,000 | Transportation projects |
|
| 2010 (June) | Question 2 | $26,500,000 | Energy projects and higher education |
|
| 2010 (June) | Question 3 | $47,800,000 | Transportation projects |
|
| 2010 (June) | Question 4 | $23,750,000 | Economic development |
|
| 2010 (June) | Question 5 | $10,250,000 | Water facilities |
|
| 2010 | Question 2 | $5,000,000 | Healthcare services |
|
| 2010 | Question 3 | $9,750,000 | Environmental conservation and recreation |
|
| 2012 | Question 2 | $11,300,000 | Higher education | 
|
| 2012 | Question 3 | $5,000,000 | Environmental conservation and recreation |
|
| 2012 | Question 4 | $51,500,000 | Transportation projects |
|
| 2012 | Question 5 | $7,925,000 | Water facilities |
|
| 2013 | Question 1 | $14,000,000 | Military facilities |
|
| 2013 | Question 2 | $15,500,000 | Higher education |
|
| 2013 | Question 3 | $100,000,000 | Transportation projects |
|
| 2013 | Question 4 | $4,500,000 | Higher education |
|
| 2013 | Question 5 | $15,500,000 | Higher education |
|
| 2014 | Question 2 | $8,000,000 | Agricultural research |
|
| 2014 | Question 3 | $12,000,000 | Economic development |
|
| 2014 | Question 4 | $10,000,000 | Healthcare research |
|
| 2014 | Question 5 | $3,000,000 | Healthcare research |
|
| 2014 | Question 6 | $10,000,000 | Water facilities and environmental conservation |
|
| 2014 | Question 7 | $7,000,000 | Economic development |
|
| 2015 | Question 2 | $15,000,000 | Housing projects |
|
| 2015 | Question 3 | $85,000,000 | Transportation projects |
|
| 2016 | Question 6 | $100,000,000 | Transportation projects |
|
| 2017 | Question 1 | $50,000,000 | Economic development |
|
| 2017 | Question 3 | $105,000,000 | Transportation projects |
|
Debt from voter-approved bonds
The Maine state treasurer provides an overview of the state’s debt resulting from general obligation bonds, which include all voter-approved bonds.[4] A general obligation bond constitutes public debt and is paid for through state funds. Section 14 of Article IX of the Maine Constitution requires that general obligation bonds exceeding $2 million be referred to the ballot for voter approval.
According to the state treasurer's overview on June 30, 2017, Maine had $460.24 million in debt from general obligation bonds. An additional $85.21 million had been approved by voters at the ballot box but not yet issued.[5] The June 2017 debt from general obligation bonds was higher than the June 2016 debt, which was $380.99 million with an additional $49.88 million in unissued bonds.[6] The graph below provides an illustration of state debt from general obligation bonds and the annual amount of unissued bonds in millions of dollars between June 30, 2005, and June 30, 2017:
Path to the ballot
- See also: Legislatively-referred state statute
Section 14 of Article IX of the Maine Constitution requires that state general obligation bonds exceeding $2 million be referred to the ballot for voter approval. A two-thirds vote in both chambers of the Maine State Legislature is required to put bond issues before voters.
Question 4 was introduced into the Maine State Legislature as Legislative Document 836 (LD 836).[7]
On June 26, 2018, the Maine State Senate approved the bill (no roll-call available). On July 9, 2018, the Maine House of Representatives voted 135 to eight, with eight members absent, to approve LD 836.[7]
Gov. Paul LePage (R) signed LD 836 on July 10, 2018, certifying the bond measure to appear on the ballot.[7]
How to cast a vote
- See also: Voting in Maine
Poll times
In Maine, municipalities with a population of less than 500 open their polls between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., while municipalities with a population of 500 or more open their polls between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. All polls close at 8:00 p.m. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[8]
Registration requirements
To register to vote in Maine, one must be "a United States citizen, at least 17 years of age, and have established a fixed principal home in Maine."[9]
Voters can return completed registration cards in person or by mail to their town office or city hall, or register at their town or office hall, any motor vehicle branch office, at a voter registration drive, or at most state and federal social service agencies. There is no deadline for voter registration if completed in person. If registering by mail, the deadline is 21 days prior to the election. If registering for the first time, the voter's driver's license number or Social Security number and a form of identification bearing the voter's name and address must be included with the completed card.[9]
Automatic registration
On June 19, 2019, Gov. Janet Mills signed an automatic voter registration bill into law designed to register voters through the Department of Motor Vehicles. At the time of signing, the law was scheduled for implementation in 2022.[10]
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Maine does not permit online voter registration.
Same-day registration
Maine allows same-day voter registration.[11]
Residency requirements
To register to vote in Maine, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.
Verification of citizenship
Maine does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.
Voter ID requirements
Maine does not require voters to present identification while voting. If a voter registers to vote on election day, he or she must provide identification and proof of where he or she lives.[12]
Background
As of April 2021, 35 states enforced (or were scheduled to begin enforcing) voter identification requirements. A total of 21 states required voters to present photo identification at the polls; the remainder accepted other forms of identification. Valid forms of identification differ by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.[13][14]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Maine State Legislature, "LD 836," accessed July 12, 2018
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Maine Commission of Governmental Ethics & Election Practices, "Ballot Question Committees," accessed July 24, 2017
- ↑ Maine State Treasurer, "Bonds on the Ballot," accessed January 12, 2017
- ↑ Maine State Treasurer, "Maine's Debt Snapshot - 6/30/17," June 30, 2017
- ↑ Maine State Treasurer, "Maine's Debt Snapshot - 6/30/16," June 30, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Maine State Legislature, "LD 836 Overview," accessed July 12, 2018
- ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "Title 21-A, Chapter 9, Section 626," accessed October 17, 2019
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Maine Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions, "State of Maine Voter Guide," accessed October 7, 2019
- ↑ WMTW 8, “Maine governor signs automatic voter registration bill into law,” accessed October 7, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Same Day Voter Registration," accessed October 7, 2019
- ↑ Maine Secretary of State, "Your Right to Vote in Maine," accessed October 3, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Voter Identification Requirements|Voter ID Laws," June 5, 2017
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Do I need an ID to vote? A look at the laws in all 50 states," October 27, 2014
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