Then there was one: Maine initiative stands alone in signature submission (Updated)

January 31, 2012

By Al Ortiz

AUGUSTA, Maine: The big day for initiative supporters in the state of Maine came and went. The day started off with six potential ballot initiatives vying for a spot on the statewide ballot; it ended with just one hoping for a chance for public vote.

January 30 marked the petition drive deadline, as any and all ballot initiative efforts that hoped to place their proposal on the 2012 ballot must have submitted collected signatures to the Maine Secretary of State's office by the end of the business day. However, when contacted by Ballotpedia, the Maine Secretary of State's office stated that only one measure had submitted signatures.

That measure was the same sex marriage question, whose supporters claimed they had collected enough signatures for the ballot. Equality Maine collected about 100,000 signatures; 36,000 of those signatures were collected on Election Day, November 6, 2011, surpassing the required number.

According to the Maine Secretary of State's website, six proposals were approved for circulation for a possible 2012 vote.

One notable measure that failed to make the deadline was the clean energy initiative, whose supporters claimed that the effort failed to collect enough signatures. According to a spokesperson for the group in favor of the proposal, David Farmer, "We concluded that we didn't have enough of a margin to be confident about qualifying for 2012. One more week likely would have been enough. We're that close."

Farmer stated that the group would focus on getting the proposal on the 2013 ballot.

In order for a measure to be placed on the 2012 ballot, 57,277 signatures need to be submitted. Signatures must be obtained from registered voters in the state. If enough signatures are collected, a measure would then be sent to the Maine State Legislature for review. If the lawmaking body chooses not to enact a measure into a law, it then gets sent to the 2012 ballot for a public vote.

The following is a list of the measures that were approved for circulation.

Type	Title	Subject	Description
IndISS	Same-Sex Marriage Question	Marriage	Would overturn a ban on gay marriage in the state.
IndISS	Renewable Energy Resources Initiative	Energy	State utilities to get 20% of power from renewable energy sources by 2020.
IndISS	Campaign Promises Question	Campaigns	Deals with public office campaigns and campaign promises.
IndISS	Forest Industry Employment Question	Labor	Deals with employment opportunities for state workers in the forest industry.
IndISS	Minimum Sentence for Sex Offenders Question	Law enforcement	Minimum sentence for offenders who commit crime against victim 12 or under
IndISS	Electronic Beano Question	Gambling	Would authorize two Indian tribes to conduct electronic Beano

See also

• Laws governing the initiative process in Maine
• Maine 2012 ballot measures
• List of Maine ballot measures