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Maine State Retirement System Funds in Trust, Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 1 (1961)
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The Maine State Retirement System Funds in Trust Referendum, also known as Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 1, was on the October 10, 1961 ballot in Maine as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment, where it was approved. The measure placed the funds of the Maine State Retirement System in trust and stipulated that they not be diverted.[1] It created a new section, Section 19-A, of Article IX of the Maine Constitution. The measure was declared invalid by the Maine Supreme Court.[2]
Aftermath
The approval of both proposed constitutional amendments on this ballot were declared invalid by the Maine Supreme Court. Maine The Maine Constitution required that referendums on constitutional amendments must be held during the month of November. Then Governor John H. Reed asked for the court's opinion after the Maine State Legislature had set October 10, 1961 as the date for the measures to be voted upon. The court also ruled that the measures could be resubmitted to voters in November of 1962. Both measures were resubmitted and approved a second time.[2]
Election results
| Maine Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 1 (1961) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Overturned Case:Opinion of the Justices 157 Me. 525 (1961) | ||||
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 33,261 | 81.83% | ||
| No | 7,387 | 18.17% | ||
Election results via: Kennebec Journal, "On Two Constitutional Amendments Vote Ruled Illegal," November 10, 1961
Text of measure
The language appeared on the ballot as:[1]
| “ |
PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT NO. 1
"Shall the Constitution be amended as proposed by a resolution of the Legislature providing that the funds of the Maine State Retirement System shall be maintained in trust and shall not be diverted?" [3] |
” |
Similar measures
The other measure that was approved and overturned at this election was:
The measure as it was resubmitted to and approved by voters in 1962:
See also
- Maine 1961 ballot measures
- 1961 ballot measures
- List of Maine ballot measures
- History of Initiative & Referendum in Maine
External links
- Lewiston Evening Journal, "Specimen Ballot," October 3, 1961
- Kennebec Journal, "On Two Constitutional Amendments Vote Ruled Illegal," November 10, 1961
- Opinion of the State Supreme Court of Maine, 157 Me. 525
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lewiston Evening Journal, "Specimen Ballot," October 3, 1961
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kennebec Journal, "On Two Constitutional Amendments Vote Ruled Illegal," November 10, 1961
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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