An Act To Improve the Clean Election Option for Gubernatorial Candidates
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 1310
Committee: Legal and Veterans Affairs
Sponsors: CUMMINGS, DAGGETT, ANNIS, CANAVAN, CLARK, COLWELL, DUPLESSIE, PATRICK, SIMPSON, MAYO
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1125

Legislative Document 
No. 1310 
H.P.964 
House of Representatives, March 11,2003 
An Act To Improve the Clean Election Option for Gubernatorial 
Candidates 
Reference to the Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative CUMMINGS of Portland. 
Cosponsored by President DAGGETT of Kennebec and 
'17/~ /J7.1JJd£~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: ANNIS of Dover-Foxcroft, CANAVAN of Waterville, CLARK of 
Millinocket, Speaker COLWELL of Gardiner, DUPLESSIE of Westbrook, PATRICK of 
Rumford, SIMPSON of Auburn, Senator: MAYO of Sagadahoc. 
Printed on Teqdt'u paper 
I 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 21-A MRS A §1122, sub-§8, ~A, as amended by PL 2001, c. 
465, §3, is further amended to read: 
A. 
For 
a 
gubernator ial 
participating 
candidate, 
the 
qualifying 
period 
begins 
Nevemae~ June 
1st 
immediately 
preceding the election year and ends at 5:00 p.m. on April 
15th 
of 
the 
election 
year 
unless 
the 
candidate 
is 
unenrolled, in which case the period ends at 5:00 p.m. on 
June 2nd of the election year. 
Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §1125, sub-§3, ~A, as enacted by IB 1995, c. 
1, §17, is amended to read: 
A. 
For 
a gubernatorial candidate, at least 
6TSQQ 
3,500 
verified registered voters of this State must support the 
candidacy by providing a qualifying contribution to that 
candidate; 
Sec. 3. 21-A MRSA §1125, sub-§8, as amended by PL 2001, c. 
465, §5, is further amended to read: 
8. 
Amount of fund distribution. 
By July 1, 1999 of the 
effective date of this Act, and at least every 4 years after that 
date, the commission shall determine the amount of funds to be 
distributed to participating candidates based on the type of 
election and office as follows. 
A. 
For contested legislative primary elections, the amount 
of revenues to be distributed is the average 
amount of 
campaign expenditures 
made 
by each candidate during all 
contested 
primary 
election 
races 
for 
the 
immediately 
preceding 2 primary electionsL as reported in the initial 
filing period subsequent to the primary electionL for the 
respective offices of GeveFaeFT State Senate and State House 
of Representatives. 
B. 
For 
uncontested 
legislative 
primary 
elections, 
the 
amount of revenues distributed is the average amount of 
campaign expenditures 
made 
by each candidate during all 
uncontested primary election 
racesT-~--~er-~-e-&t.-ed--raees 
i{--t.-ha-U--ame~a1::--4-s--~ewe~T for the immediately preceding 2 
primary electionsL as reported in the initial filing period 
subsequent 
to 
the 
primary e1ectionL for 
the 
respective 
offices 
of 
GeveFaerT 
State 
Senate 
and 
State 
House 
of 
Representatives. 
C. 
For contested legislative general elections, the amount 
of revenues distributed is the average amount of campaign 
Page l-LR1233(1) 
expenditures made by each candidate during all contested 
general 
election 
races 
for 
the 
immediately 
preceding 
general elections L 
as reported in the initial filing period 
subsequent 
to 
the 
general election for L 
the 
respective 
offices 
of 
GeveFaeFT 
State 
Senate 
and 
State 
House 
of 
Representatives. 
D. 
For 
uncontested 
legislative 
general 
elections, 
the 
amount of revenues to be distributed from the fund is 40% of 
the amount distributed to a participating candidate in a 
contested general election. 
E. 
For 
gubernatorial 
primary elections, 
the 
amount 
of 
revenues 
distributed is 
the 
average 
amount 
of 
campaign 
expenditures made by each gubernatorial candidate receiving 
more than 
5<).0 of the vote during all gubernatorial primary 
election 
races 
for 
the 
immediately 
preceding 
primary 
elections, 
as 
reported 
in 
the 
initial 
filing 
period 
subseguent to the primary election. 
F. 
For 
gubernatorial 
general 
elections, 
the 
amount 
of 
revenues 
distributed is 
the 
average 
amount 
of 
campaign 
expenditures made by all gubernatorial candidates receiving 
more 
than 
5% 
of 
the 
vote during all contested general 
election 
races 
for 
the 
immediately preceding 
general 
elections, 
as 
reported 
in 
the 
initial 
filing 
period 
subsequent to the general election. 
If the immediately preceding Ewe election cycles do not contain 
sufficient electoral data, the commission shall use information 
from the most recent applicable elections. 
~eF-~~~~-iail:ia± 
eemF~EaEieas-~~~e~-~~~~-~-G-~ha~-~~~~-by-J~±y 
IT--~~--~~--eemmissiea--~~~--~~--l:Re--~~--~~--ae 
aisEFia~Eea-ay-6e%T 
Sec. 4. 21-A MRSA §1125, sub-§9, as enacted by IB 1995, c. 1, 
§17, is amended to read: 
9. 
Matching funds. 
When any campaign, finance or election 
report 
shows 
that the 
sum 
of 
a 
candidate's expenditures 
or 
obligations, or funds raised or borrowed, whichever is greater, 
alone or in conjunction with independent expenditures reported 
under 
section 
1019, 
exceeds 
the 
distribution 
amount 
under 
subsection 8, 
the 
commission shall issue 
immediately to 
any 
opposing Maine Clean Election Act candidate an additional amount 
equivalent to the reported excess. 
Matching funds are limited to 
times the amount originally distributed under subsection 8, 
paragraph A eFL 
C, E or F, whichever is applicable. 
I 
SUMMARY 
This bill amends the Maine Clean Election Act as follows. 
1. 
It provides that, 
for 
candidate, 
the qualifying period 
November 1st. 
a 
gubernatorial participating 
begins June 1st, instead of 
2. 
It increases the 
number of qualifying contributions 
required from 2,500 to 3,500. 
3. 
It specifies that for gubernatorial primary elections, 
the 
amount of revenues distributed is the average 
amount of 
campaign expenditures made by candidates who received more than 
5% of the vote based on the preceding 4 primary elections. 
4. 
It specifies that for gubernatorial general elections, 
the 
amount of 
revenues distributed is the average 
amount of 
campaign expenditures made by candidates who received more than 
5% of the vote based on the preceding 4 general elections.