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Maine 2019 ballot measures
- Primary: No statewide races
- General election: Nov. 5
- Voter registration deadline: None
- Early voting: Click here
- Absentee voting deadline: Oct. 31
- Online registration: No
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Voter ID: Not required
- Poll times: 6-10 a.m. - 8 p.m.[2]
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In 2019, two statewide ballot measures appeared on the ballot in Maine on November 5, 2019. Both of the ballot measures were approved.
On the ballot
- See also: 2019 ballot measures
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BI | Question 1 | Bonds | Authorizes $105 million in bonds for transportation infrastructure projects | |
| LRCA | Question 2 | Direct Democracy | Authorizes legislation allowing for persons with physical disabilities to use alternative signatures to sign initiative petitions |
Getting measures on the ballot
Citizens
In Maine, citizens have the power to initiate state statutes and veto referendums, but not constitutional amendments. Initiatives are indirect in Maine, meaning that the state legislature has the option to approve an initiative without a vote of electors. Voters approved a constitutional amendment for initiative and referendum powers in 1908.
In 2019, 63,067 signatures were required for initiatives and veto referendums in Maine. The signature requirement was based on 10 percent of the votes cast for governor in 2018.
Signatures for initiatives that proponents intend for the election on November 5, 2019, needed to be filed on or before January 24, 2019. The deadline for veto referendums was 90 days following the final adjournment of the legislative session at which the targeted bill was passed.
Legislature
The Maine State Legislature can refer statewide ballot measures, in the form of constitutional amendments and state statutes, to the ballot. In Maine, the most common type of referred statute is the bond issue.
Maine is one of 16 states that requires a two-thirds vote in each legislative chamber during one legislative session to refer a constitutional amendment to the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 101 votes in the Maine House of Representatives and 24 votes in the Maine Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
Statutes, including bond issues, require a simple majority vote in each legislative chamber during one legislative session and the governor's signature to appear on the ballot. Section 14 of Article IX of the Maine Constitution requires that state bonds exceeding $2 million be referred to the ballot for voter approval.
Context of 2018 elections
- See also: Maine elections, 2018
In 2019, Democrats controlled both chambers of the state legislature, as well as the governor's office, making Maine a Democratic trifecta. Prior to 2019, Maine was a divided government.
At the general election on November 6, 2018, Democrats retained control of the state House and increased their seats from 73 to 89 (of 151). Democrats took control of the state Senate, increasing their seats from 17 to 21 (of 35). Voters also elected Democrat Janet Mills to succeed Republican Paul LePage as governor.
Changes in the partisan makeup of the state government could have had an impact on the prospects of legislative referrals making the ballot. As Democrats had trifecta control of Maine in 2019, no legislative Republicans were needed to put statutes or bond issues before voters. Amendments to the Maine Constitution, however, still required support from some Republicans as Democrats did not control two-thirds of the seats in either legislative chamber.
Summary of campaign contributions
- See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2019
The following chart illustrates how much support and opposition committees had amassed in campaign contributions for each measure on the ballot:
| Ballot Measure: | Support contributions: | Opposition contributions: | Outcome: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Question 2 | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| Maine Question 1 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Historical facts
- See also: List of Maine ballot measures
Between 1995 and 2018, the following occurred:
- Ballots featured 141 ballot measures.
- An average of six measures appeared on odd-year statewide ballots in Maine.
- An average of one citizen-initiated statute appeared on odd-year statewide ballots in Maine.
- Voters approved 91 percent (145 of 159) and rejected 9 percent (14 of 159) of the ballot measures.
- Voters approved 40 percent (14 of 35) and rejected 60 percent (21 of 35) of the citizen-initiated statutes.
| Ballot measures in Maine, 1995-2018 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Total number | Approved | Percent approved | Defeated | Percent defeated | Odd-year average | Odd-year median | Odd-year minimum | Odd-year maximum | |
| All measures | 141 | 110 | 78.01% | 31 | 21.99% | 6.2 | 6.5 | 3 | 9 | |
| Initiated statutes | 35 | 14 | 40.00% | 21 | 60.00% | 1.33 | 1.00 | 0 | 4 | |
| Veto referendums | 7 | 6 | 85.71% | 1 | 14.29% | 0.25 | 0.00 | 0 | 1 | |
| Amendments | 15 | 11 | 73.33% | 4 | 26.67% | 0.83 | 1.00 | 0 | 3 | |
| Bond issues | 80 | 77 | 96.25% | 3 | 3.75% | 3.58 | 4.00 | 0 | 6 | |
Not on the ballot
In 2019, none of the proponents of proposed ballot initiatives filed signatures before the deadline on January 24, 2019, making 2019 the first year since 2013 to not feature ballot initiatives in Maine. The ballot initiatives were still eligible to appear on the ballot for November 3, 2020.
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IndISS | Medical Aid-in-Dying Initiative | Assisted Death | Legalizes assisted death for adult patients with terminal illnesses | 
|
| IndISS | Paid Sick Leave Initiative | Labor | Requires employers to provide employees with paid sick leave |
|
| IndISS | Crime of Female Genital Mutilation Initiative | Law | Classifies female genital mutiliation as a crime in state code |
|
| VR | Physician-Assisted Death Referendum | Assisted Death | Repeals the law authorizing physician-assisted death | 
|
| VR | Health Insurance to Cover Abortions Referendum | Abortion | Repeals the law requiring MaineCare and certain private insurers provide coverage for abortions |
|
| VR | Automatic Voter Registration Referendum | Elections | Repeals the law enacting automatic voter registration |
|
| VR | Presidential Primary Election Referendum | Elections | Repeals the law replacing partisan caucuses with primaries for nominating presidential candidates |
|
| VR | Electric Construction Apprenticeships and Solar Purchase Agreements Referendum | Development | Repeals the law requiring apprenticeships for electric construction and school solar power agreements |
|
| VR | Healthcare Professionals Allowed to Perform Abortions Referendum | Abortion | Repeals the law allowing physician assistants and certain nurses to perform abortions |
|
| VR | Prohibit Certain Practices to Change Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity Referendum | LGBT | Repeals the law prohibiting school psychologists and counselors from practices intended to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity |
|
| VR | Immigrant Employment Loans Referendum | Immigration | Repeals the law providing loans to immigrants for employment-related expenses |
|
| VR | Renewable Energy Standards Referendum | Energy | Repeals the law requiring 100 percent of energy to come from renewable resources by 2050 |
|
| VR | Renewable Energy Facilities Referendum | Energy | Repeals the law to change certain regulations governing renewable energy facilities |
|
| VR | Law Enforcement Profiling | Law enforcement | Repeals the law requiring law enforcement agencies to adopt policies preventing profiling based on race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, age, national origin, or ancestry |
|
| LRCA | Early Voting Amendment | Elections | Authorizes legislation for early voting |
|
| LRCA | Signature Distribution Requirement for Initiatives Amendment | Direct Democracy | Changes signature requirement for initiatives from statewide to congressional districts |
|
| LRCA | Majority Vote for Governor and State Legislators Amendment | Elections | Requires a majority vote, instead of a plurality vote, for governor and state legislators |
|
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
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