Portland, Maine, Question A, Rent Control Exception Initiative (November 2023)

Portland Question A
Election date November 7, 2023
Topic Local rent control
Status Defeated
Type Initiative

Portland Question A was on the ballot as an initiative in Portland on November 7, 2023. It was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported exempting owners of nine or fewer property units from the city's rent control ordinance.

A "no" vote opposed exempting owners of nine or fewer property units from the city's rent control ordinance.

Election results

Portland Question A
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		7,328	34.23%
No		14,080	65.77%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

What was the initiative designed to do?

The initiative would have exempted owners of nine or less property units to be exempt from Portland’s rent control ordinance. The city’s rent control ordinance was approved by voters in 2020.

As of 2023, rent control exemptions were provided to property units in an owner-occupied building containing 2, 3, or 4 dwelling units, units where rent control is publicly controlled or subsidized, accessory dwelling units, units owned or managed by municipal housing authorities, dormitories owned by public schools or higher education institutions, and accommodations in hospitals, religious institutions, or extended care facilities.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Question A was as follows:

“

Question A: Do you favor the change in the city ordinance proposed by citizen petition as summarized below? An Act to Amend Portland's Rent-Control Ordinance An Act to Amend Portland's Rent-Control Ordinance will ensure that anyone with an ownership interest in nine or fewer rental units in the City of Portland will not be subject to the provisions of the city's rent control ordinance.

”

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.

Support

Supporters

Ballotpedia did not locate a campaign in support of the ballot measure.

Arguments

• Chris Korzen, supporter of initiative: "These are people who aren’t looking to get rich. They’re just looking to get by, and in a lot of cases they’ve looked to keep rents low but are now stuck with rents that are well below the typical market rate."

Opposition

Opponents

Organizations

• Maine Democratic Socialists of America

Arguments

• Maine Democratic Socialists of America: "Portland landlords have put a measure on the November ballot that will allow landlords to gouge the rent on over 9,000 tenants previously protected by rent control. The initiative, if passed, means every tenant who lives in an apartment run by a landlord with fewer than 10 units will now have to pay whatever the landlord wants. Current law will limit rent increases in 2024 to less than 2%. If Question A passes, a landlord could raise your rent 20%, 50%, 100% or even triple what you pay now if they could find someone to pay it. Whatever they choose."
• Frmr. Mayor Ethan Strimling: "The new initiative would allow landlords to precipitously raise the rent on every tenant who lives in a unit owned by a landlord with fewer than 10 units (what they call “small” landlords). The proposed change means renters in 4,300 units will have their rent control protections pulled out from under them — almost 40% of the current rent controlled market. According to the U.S. Census, that’s likely more than 9.000 people. Forty percent of units, housing over 9,000 people, will revert back to the days when landlords could raise the rent as many times a year as they choose, by as large an amount as they choose."

Path to the ballot

This measure was put on the ballot through a successful citizen petition organized by Betty Caton. After enough valid signatures were submitted, on August 14, 2023, the Portland City Council voted 6-2 to place the initiative on the ballot.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Maine

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Maine.

How to vote in Maine

Poll times

In Maine, municipalities with a population of 500 or more open their polls between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., while municipalities with a population of less than 500 open their polls between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 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.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Maine, one must be "a United States citizen, at least 16 years of age to pre-register to vote, and have established a fixed principal home in Maine. To vote in a Referendum or General Election, you must be registered in the community where you reside, and be at least 18 years of age. A 17 year old may vote in a Primary Election, if that person will be 18 by the General Election."

Voters can return completed registration cards in person or by mail to their town office or city hall, to any Motor Vehicle branch office, to most state & federal social service agencies, or at a voter registration drive. There is no deadline for voter registration if completed in person. If registering by mail or online, the deadline is 21 days prior to the election. If registering through a qualified state agency, the deadlines is seven days prior to the election.

When registering for the first time in Maine, voters must provide documents verifying their identity and residence. The following documents are acceptable identification for the purpose of registering to vote:

• Government ID with a photo (i.e. driver’s license, State ID, valid U.S. Passport, military ID, ID card issued by a federally recognized Indian tribe)
• Government ID without photo (i.e. certified birth certificate or signed Social Security card)
• Other official document showing the name and address of voter (i.e. eligibility for public benefits, utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck)
• Student photo ID from a state-approved public or private school or institute of higher education in Maine
• Maine driver’s license number or last four digits of Social Security Number

Automatic registration

See also: Automatic voter registration

Maine automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles. Eligible voters may opt out of registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Maine has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

See also: Same-day voter registration

Maine allows same-day voter registration.

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

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Maine does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Maine voter information lookup service allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Maine does not require voters to present identification while voting. If a voter registers to vote on Election Day, they must provide identification and proof of residence.

The federal Help America Vote Act requires that individuals who register to vote by mail and who have not voted previously in a federal election in their state must provide either their driver's license or a paycheck, bank statement, current utility bill, or government document showing their name and address. Individuals voting by mail must include a copy of one of those documents with their absentee/mail-in ballot.

These requirements do not apply if an individual submitted a copy of their identification, their driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when registering to vote.

See also

Local measures

• Local measures in 2023
• Local rent control on the ballot

Maine

• Maine 2023 local measures
• Local ballot measures, Maine
• Portland, Maine

News and analysis

• State and local preemption conflicts
• Measures advancing national agendas