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Maine Transportation Bond, Question 6 (2016)
| Maine Question 6 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 8, 2016 | |
| Topic Bond issues | |
Status Approved | |
| Type Bond issue | Origin State Legislature |
| 2016 measures |
|---|
 |
| November 8 |
| Question 1 |
| Question 2 |
Question 3  |
| Question 4 |
| Question 5 |
| Question 6 |
| Polls |
| Voter guides |
| Campaign finance |
| Signature costs |
The Maine Transportation Bond, also known as Question 6, was on the November 8, 2016 ballot in Maine as a legislatively referred bond question. It was approved.
| A vote "for" Question 6 was a vote in favor of issuing $100 million in bonds for transportation projects. |
| A vote "against" Question 6 was a vote against this proposal to issue $100 million in bonds. |
Election results
| Question 6 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 457,864 | 61.22% | ||
| No | 290,062 | 38.78% | ||
- Election results from Maine Secretary of State
Vote in Pivot Counties
Voters in Maine passed Question 6, with 61.22 percent voting to enact the initiative. At the county level, the vote ranged from 51.06 percent in Piscataquis County to 68.23 percent in Cumberland County.[1]
The seven counties that voted for Hillary Clinton for president in 2016, and Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, passed the measure by an average of 63.94 percent. Piscataquis County, the one county in Maine to vote Republican in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 presidential elections, voted for the measure, with 51.06 percent supporting.
Maine's other eight counties voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012 and then flipped to the Republican candidate Donald Trump in 2016. Ballotpedia calls these Obama-Obama-Trump counties Pivot Counties. Averaging across the state's eight Pivot Counties, support for the measure was 55.51 percent.
By winning eight counties that Obama won in 2008 and 2012, Donald Trump was able to secure one electoral vote in Maine for winning the 2nd Congressional District in the northern part of the state. Although Maine has awarded two of its electoral votes in presidential elections based on who wins each congressional district since 1972, the two electoral votes had never been split until 2016. In 2008 and 2012, Obama won the vote in both congressional districts.[2]
The average yes vote percentage on Question 2 in Pivot Counties was 55.51 percent, which was 4.45 percent more than in the Republican county and 8.43 percent less than in Democratic counties.
| Vote on Question 6 (2016) in Maine Pivot, Democratic, and Republican Counties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Type | Trump Margin in 2016 | Percent "Yes" on Question 6 |
Percent "No" on Question 6 | |
| Androscoggin | Pivot | 9.39% | 55.15% | 44.85% | |
| Aroostook | Pivot | 17.19% | 55.86% | 44.14% | |
| Cumberland | Democratic | -26.35% | 68.23% | 31.77% | |
| Franklin | Pivot | 5.47% | 54.77% | 45.23% | |
| Hancock | Democratic | -7.51% | 62.98% | 37.02% | |
| Kennebec | Pivot | 3.58% | 58.54% | 41.46% | |
| Knox | Democratic | -14.24% | 66.53% | 33.47% | |
| Lincoln | Democratic | -2.39% | 63.43% | 36.57% | |
| Oxford | Pivot | 12.94% | 55.86% | 44.14% | |
| Penobscot | Pivot | 10.91% | 55.32% | 44.68% | |
| Piscataquis | Republican | 25.14% | 51.06% | 48.94% | |
| Sagadahoc | Democratic | -6.29% | 64.27% | 35.73% | |
| Somerset | Pivot | 22.67% | 51.94% | 48.06% | |
| Sagadahoc | Democratic | -0.28% | 57.61% | 42.39% | |
| Washington | Pivot | 18.44% | 56.64% | 43.36% | |
| York | Democratic | -4.76% | 64.55% | 35.45% | |
| All Pivot Counties | 12.57% | 55.51% | 44.49% | ||
Overview
The $100 million of construction spending was split between $80 million for the construction and maintenance of highways and bridges, and $20 million for facilities and equipment related to "ports, harbors, marine transportation, aviation, freight and passenger railroads, and bicycle and pedestrian trails that preserve public safety or otherwise have demonstrated high transportation economic value."[3]
Question 6 also qualified the state for $137,000,000 in federal government matching funds for Maine transportation projects.[3]
Maine voters approved an $85 million bond issue for transportation improvements in 2015.
Voters saw a $50 million bond issue on the ballot in June 2017 designed to fund "infrastructure, equipment and technology upgrades" and certain small business loans in an attempt to "stimulate investment in innovation by Maine businesses."[4]
The Maine Office of the Treasurer estimated that the debt service cost will be $133 million, assuming an interest rate of 6 percent over ten years.
Polls conducted in September and October 2016 show that Question 6 was likely to pass, with 66 percent of respondents indicating support for the measure in both polls.
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title appeared as follows:[5]
| “ |
Do you favor a $100,000,000 bond issue for construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation of highways and bridges and for facilities, equipment and property acquisition related to ports, harbors, marine transportation, freight and passenger railroads, aviation, transit and bicycle and pedestrian trails, to be used to match an estimated $137,000,000 in federal and other funds?[6] |
” |
Intent and content
The following intent and content statement was prepared by the office of the attorney general:[7]
This Act would authorize the State to issue general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000), to raise funds for a variety of projects as described below. The bonds would run for a period not longer than 10 years from the date of issue and would be backed by the full faith and credit of the State. Proceeds from the sale of these bonds would be administered by the Department of Transportation for the following purposes: Highways, secondary roads and bridges – eighty million dollars ($80,000,000) would be expended to:
Municipalities are required to contribute 50% or more of the project costs under the Municipal Partnership Initiative program, which is described on the Department’s web site at http://maine.gov/mdot/planning/. Highway and bridge projects are matched with federal funds on a ratio of 1.1 to 1 (federal to state) dollars. Accordingly, these bond proceeds are expected to leverage approximately eighty-eight million dollars ($88,000,000) in federal and local matching funds. Multi-modal projects – Twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) would be spent on a variety of projects, including facilities, equipment and acquisition of property related to ports, harbors, marine transportation, aviation, railroads (both passenger and freight), transit (public transportation) and bicycle and pedestrian trails. The intent is to fund projects that preserve public safety or otherwise demonstrate high economic value in terms of transportation. The investment of these bond proceeds is expected to be matched by approximately forty-nine million dollars ($49,000,000) in federal, local and private funds. If approved, the authorization of these bonds would take effect 30 days after the Governor’s proclamation of the vote. A “YES” vote approves the issuance of up to one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) in general obligation bonds to finance the activities described above. A “NO” vote disapproves the bond issue in its entirety. |
Full text
The full text of the measure can be found here.
Fiscal impact
The Maine Office of the Treasurer prepared the following debt service statement:[7]
| “ | Total estimated life time cost is $133,000,000 representing $100,000,000 in principal and $33,000,000 in interest (assuming interest at 6.0% over 10 years).[6] | ” |
The Maine Office of Fiscal and Program Review prepared the following fiscal impact statement:[7]
| “ | This bond issue has no significant fiscal impact other than the debt service costs identified above.[6] | ” |
Support
Supporters
This bond measure was sponsored in the Maine State Legislature by the following lawmakers:[8]
- Sen. Ronald Collins (R-34)
- Sen. Kimberley Rosen (R-8)
- Rep. Mark Bryant (D-24)
- Rep. Bradlee Farrin (R-111)
- Rep. James Gillway (R-98)
- Rep. Jared Golden (D-60)
- Rep. Brian Hobart (R-55)
- Rep. Wayne Parry (R-10)
- Rep. Christine Powers (D-68)
- Rep. Arthur Verow (D-128)
- Rep. Andrew McLean (D-27)
Other officials who supported the measure included:
- Gov. Paul LePage (R)[9]
- Maine Department of Transportation Commissioner David Bernhardt, who also supported the $90 million transportation bond issue proposed in 2015.[10][11]
- Karen Heck, former mayor of Waterville[12]
Arguments
Rep. Andrew McLean (D-27) submitted the following public comments to the secretary of state's voter's guide in support of Question 6:[7]
| “ |
I urge you to vote “Yes” on Question 6 in support of a $100 million transportation bond. Maine faces a serious transportation funding challenge. Engineers at Maine’s Department of Transportation estimate that our state underfunds basic maintenance and repairs on roads and bridges by $168 million each year. These engineers are not political appointees. They are professionals tasked with ensuring the safety of our roads or bridges. Maintaining a safe and reliable transportation system is critical to keeping Maine businesses competitive and the traveling public safe. It is a basic function of government. A sustainable funding model is needed to support it. Maine’s Highway Fund collects revenue to maintain and improve roads and bridges, as well as our airports, seaports, and rail lines. It relies on fuel taxes, and registration and excise fees for a majority of its revenue. But as vehicles have become more fuel-efficient, revenue into the Highway Fund has declined, limiting necessary investments in infrastructure projects. In response to declining revenue, policy makers and engineers have gone through the Highway Fund budget line-by-line to find efficiencies and savings. But anyone who drives on our deteriorating roads and bridges knows that won’t be enough to fund even basic repairs. A long-term solution is needed. It will take negotiation, and most important, public pressure. In the meantime, voting “Yes” on Question 6 is a temporary, yet necessary fix to keep our roads and bridges as safe as possible.[6] |
” |
Opposition
Opponents
- Sen. Andre Cushing (R-10)[13]
Arguments
Speaking about the proposal for the transportation bond issue passed in 2015, Mark W. Anderson, an economist and a writer for the Bangor Daily News, called for an increased fuel tax as opposed to issuing bonds for transportation maintenance. He wrote:
| “ | I don’t think I ever voted against one of these on the ballot and I don’t ever remember one failing to pass. Transportation bonds seem like a good deal and we all know the roads need repair. Still, I might just vote no this time. I am starting to think that borrowing money to fix roads is a bad idea.
It would be better if we were to use the tax on gasoline and diesel fuel to fund our highway repairs and to match Federal funds. It would be fairer, cheaper, and more efficient. Maine weather is obviously a key factor in highway deterioration, but we know we are not going to do anything about that. Wear and tear on highways is also the result of two things we do control – the number of vehicle miles driven over the roads and the weight of the vehicles that make up those miles; heavier vehicles cause more damage. It turns out that the gas and diesel taxes are excellent, if not perfect, ways to reflect those two factors. More miles driven and higher vehicle weights both require more motor fuels, even in today’s more fuel efficient vehicles. So the tax on motor fuels is really not a tax at all, it is a user fee. It asks people to pay for the expenses they exact on the public purse to maintain roads. That is why the tax is fairer than borrowing to fund highway repairs, even though no one likes higher taxes. Bonding to fund highway repairs asks people who do not drive to pay part of the costs for those who do drive. It also subsidizes tourists and other visitors to the state. We pay so they can drive here. A higher gas tax to pay for highway maintenance would also save money. We would not need to pay the costs of issuing general obligation bonds or the costs of interest. While interest rates are low now, “making it a good time to borrow,” they are not zero. The mechanism is in place now to collect gas taxes, so the costs of collecting higher gas taxes is obviously lower than borrowing. … Perhaps it is time to vote no on transportation bonds that are not investments. It is time to be honest with ourselves and ask our Legislators to make the costs of the highway system transparent. It is time for drivers to pay their own way and not ask others to pay those costs for them. Being afraid to do this has turned both tax and spend liberals and fiscal conservatives into borrow and spend Mainers. It is time to pay as we go.[6] |
” |
| —Mark W. Anderson[14] | ||
Campaign finance
| Total campaign contributions: | |
| Support: | $0.00 |
| Opposition: | $0.00 |
As of February 17, 2017, no ballot question committees registered to support or oppose Question 6.[15][16]
Background
A $90 million bond issue was initially placed on the ballot via Legislative Document No. 1415 (LD 1415) in 2015. This piece of legislation also certified a smaller $85 million transportation bond for the 2015 ballot in Maine, which was approved by voters on November 3, 2015. Ultimately, LD 1415 was amended to remove the section concerning the $90 million transportation bond issue on the November 2016 ballot. The legislature passed LD 1694 calling for this $100 million bond issue instead.[17]
Media editorials
Support
Bangor Daily News said the following:[18]
| “ | The bond is also an important economic investment to improve commerce and the construction work will create jobs. The timing of this bond is also good as interest rates are low and Maine has the capacity for more borrowing.
A “yes” vote on Question 6 is needed, and it is a good investment.[6] |
” |
Portland Press Herald and sister publications Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel said the following:[19]
| “ | It might feel like voters are always being asked to pony up more money for Maine’s roads and bridges. Indeed, in 2012, 2013 and just last year, bonds totaling tens of millions of dollars were approved at the polls.
But those funds are barely sufficient for maintaining the state’s transportation infrastructure – the highways, bridges, ports, railways and paths that allow businesses to move goods, and residents and tourists to travel safely. That’s why we are endorsing a yes vote on Question 6 on the Nov. 8 ballot.[6] |
” |
The Mount Desert Islander said the following:[20]
| “ | Question 6, The Bond Issue requests voters spend $100 million for highway and bridge construction, marine transportation and other MDOT projects while securing a matching federal grant of $137 million. Question 6 warrants voter support.[6] | ” |
Opposition
Ballotpedia has not found editorials in opposition to Question 6. Please send any information about editorials to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Reports and analyses
A report by TRIP, a national transportation research group, found that more than a third of Maine's bridges are structurally deficient (15 percent) or do not meet modern design standards (19 percent). More than a quarter of the major urban roads that are maintained locally and other roads maintained by the state are in poor condition. In Portland, 56 percent of the major urban roads are in poor or mediocre condition. The report estimated that the conditions of roads in Portland cost the average motorist $524 per year in accelerated vehicle depreciation, repair costs, fuel consumption, and tire wear.[21]
Polls
| Maine Transportation Bond, Question 6 (2016) | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Support | Oppose | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| University of New Hampshire Survey Center 10/20/16 - 10/25/16 | 66% | 24% | 10% | +/-3.6 | 761 | ||||||||||||||
| Portland Press Herald/University of New Hampshire Survey Center 9/15/16 - 9/20/16 | 66% | 20% | 13% | +/-4.3 | 501 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 66% | 22% | 11.5% | +/-3.95 | 631 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Path to the ballot
- See also: Legislatively-referred state statute
According to Article IX, Section 14 of the Maine Constitution, a two-thirds vote in both chambers of the Maine Legislature was required to put Question 6 before voters.
- In 2015, the Maine State Legislature initially proposed both a $85 million bond issue for the 2015 ballot and a $90 million bond issue for the 2016 ballot through LD 1415. Before the bill was passed, however, it was amended to remove the provision calling for a bond issue referendum in 2016.[8]
- In the 2016 legislative session, the legislature approved LD 1694, calling for this $100 million transportation bond issue referendum.[22]
House vote
April 15, 2016
| Maine LD 1694 House vote | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 138 | 97.18% | ||
| No | 4 | 2.82% | ||
Senate vote
April 15, 2016
| Maine LD 1694 Senate Vote | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 32 | 94.12% | ||
| No | 2 | 5.88% | ||
Related measures
State profile
| Demographic data for Maine | ||
|---|---|---|
| Maine | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,329,453 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 30,843 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 95% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 1.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.1% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 1.5% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91.6% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 29% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $49,331 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 16.6% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Maine. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Maine
Maine voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, eight are located in Maine, accounting for 3.88 percent of the total pivot counties.[23]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Maine had seven Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 4.42 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Maine coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Maine
- United States congressional delegations from Maine
- Public policy in Maine
- Endorsers in Maine
- Maine fact checks
- More...
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Maine Transportation Bond 2016. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Maine Citizen's Guide to the Referendum Election
- Legislative Document No. 1694
- Legislative Document No. 1415
Footnotes
- ↑ Maine Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016 General Election," accessed June 14, 2017
- ↑ Portland Press Herald, "Trump takes 1 of Maine’s 4 electoral votes, in a first for the state," November 9, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Maine State Legislature, "Maine Legislative Document 1694 (2016)," accessed April 20, 2016
- ↑ Open States, "Maine Legislative Document 1053 (2016)," accessed April 21, 2016
- ↑ Maine Secretary of State, "Upcoming Elections," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Maine Secretary of State, "Maine Citizen's Guide to the Referendum Election," accessed October 4, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Maine Legislature, "LD 1415 Status," accessed July 2, 2015
- ↑ Maine Public, "Transportation Bond On Nov. 8 Ballot Enjoys No Organized Opposition," October 21, 2016
- ↑ P2A, "Ask Your Legislators to Support the $100 Million Transportation Bond Bill, LD 1694," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Equipment World Magazine, "Maine governor signs law authorizing $85 million transportation bond package," July 7, 2015
- ↑ CentralMaine.com, "Heck: Vote for children on Nov. 8," November 2, 2016
- ↑ Centralmaine.com, "Senate District 10 candidates differ on minimum wage, background checks," October 10, 2016
- ↑ Bangor Daily News, "Maine Roads Stink," July 26, 2015
- ↑ Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics & Election Practices,"Financial Data - Basic Contribution Search- Ballot Question Committees," accessed September 9, 2016
- ↑ Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics & Election Practices,"Ballot Question Committees," accessed September 9, 2016
- ↑ Maine Legislature, "Legislative Document No. 1415," accessed January 5, 2016
- ↑ Bangor Daily News, "Maine has huge backlog of needed road work. Question 6 will help ease it.," October 19, 2016
- ↑ Portland Press Herald, "Our View: For better roads, more jobs in Maine, vote ‘yes’ on Question 6," October 31, 2016
- ↑ Mount Desert Islander, "Referendum review," November 4, 2016
- ↑ TRIP, "Maine Transportation by the Numbers," October 2016
- ↑ Maine Legislature, "Status of LD 1694," accessed April 21, 2016
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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