An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Political Caucuses, Conventions and Committees (AFTER DEADLINE)
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 1686
Committee: Legal and Veterans Affairs
Sponsors: GERZOFSKY, BRYANT, CUMMINGS, MARLEY, PATRICK, PERCY, RINES, SYKES, WEBSTER
Amends: 21-A MRSA §321

Legislative Document 
No. 1686 
H.P.1192 
House of Representatives, June 3, 2005 
An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Political Caucuses, 
Conventions and Committees 
(AFTER DEADLINE) 
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
205. 
Reference to the Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative GERZOFSKY of Brunswick. 
Cosponsored by Senator BRYANT of Oxford and 
Il/~ 
frl·711u£~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: CUMMINGS of Portland, DUGA Y of Cherryfield, MARLEY of Portland, 
PATRICK of Rumford, PERCY of Phippsburg, RINES of Wiscasset, SYKES of Harrison, 
WEBSTER of Freeport. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 21·A MRSA §111, as amended by PL 1987, c. 423, §2, is 
further amended to read: 
§lli. General qualifications 
A person who meets the following requirements may vote in 
any election in a municipality, including a biennial municipal 
caucus held pursuant to section 311. 
1. 
Citizenship. --Ee-
The person must be a citizen of the 
United States. 
2. 
Aqe. 
He The person must be at least 18 years of ageL 
except that. to vote in a political party's primary election or 
municipal caucus, the person must be at least 18 years of age as 
of the date of the next general election. 
3. 
Residence. 
He 
The person must have established and 
maintain a voting residence in that municipality. 
4. 
Reqistration. 
He The person must be registered to vote 
in that municipality. 
5. 
Enrollment. 
He The person must be enrolled in a party 
in that municipality to vote at a that party's caucus, convention 
or primary election, unless otherwise permitted by a--pW-i-t.-iea;j, 
the party pursuant to section 340. 
Sec. 2. 21·A MRSA §1l1·A, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 577, §l, 
is amended to read: 
§lll-A. Votinq aqe qualification for primary elections 
Net;.wit;.hst;.aaE1ia~---see-t,.~a--.J..J..J."7--&li-&&ee~j,eB-~--a A person who 
has not yet reached 18 years of age but will be 18 years of age 
at 
the 
time 
of 
a 
general 
election 
and 
meets 
all 
other 
qualifications in order to vote in a primary election may vote in 
the primary election for the selection of candidates to be on the 
ballot at that general election. 
Sec. 3. 21·A MRSA §31l, as amended by PL 2001, c. 310, §17, 
is further amended to read: 
§311. Rules qoverninq 
A biennial municipal caucus is may be held by any political 
party for the purpose of electing delegates to a state convention 
and for any other business governed by the following provisions. 
Page l-LR2403(1) 
1. 
Call. 
The caucus may be called by the 9haiFman chair or 
a 
majority of 
the 
members 
of 
the municipal 
committee of 
a 
political party. 
If the municipal committee fails to call a 
caucus, the county committee may call the caucus. 
At the request 
of that committee municipal officers shall provide available 
space in a public building for a caucus. 
A municipality may hold 
its caucus outside the municipality if seyeral municipalities 
elect to meet on a consolidated basis or if the committee calling 
the caucus determines that a facility outside the municipality is 
more suitable. 
2. 
Time. 
A biennial municipal caucus of any party hela 
siennially-~4~-&&&-~~-~~&~&-yea£--~-~Re-~~-ef 
eleetin!--Qe*~a&e&--&&-~-~-~4~-~-~~--aRy--etheF 
Sl:isiness must be held during the general election year before 
March 20th. 
3. 
Notice. 
The secretary of the committee ml:ist shall have 
a notice of the caucus published in a newspaper having general 
circulation in the municipality at least 3 and not more than 7 
days before it is to be held, or ml:isto ~ 
post a notice in a 
conspicuous, 
public 
place 
in 
each 
voting 
district 
in 
the 
municipality at least 7 days before the caucus. 
The notice must 
contain the name of the party, the time and place of the caucus 
and the name of the person calling it. 
A. 
If the 
subsection, 
eligible to 
the failure 
notice is not published as required by this 
the caucus is void if challenged by any yoter 
participate in the caucus who was prejudiced by 
to publish notice. 
B. 
The secretary of the committee ml:isto ~ 
file a copy of 
the notice with the clerk who shall record it. 
4. 
Procedure. 
The 
ehaiFman ~ 
of 
the 
municipal 
committee shall open the caucus. 
In his the chair's absence, the 
secretary or any resident voter enrolled in the party may open 
the caucus. 
The caucus shall elect a secretary and a ehaiFman 
chair in that order. 
The ehaiFman ~ 
of the caucus shall then 
preside 
over 
the 
caucus 
and 
the secretary shall 
record the 
proceeding of the caucus. 
The caucus shall determine its own 
parliamentary procedure. 
5. 
If DO municipal cOlmlittee. 
If there is no municipal 
commi ttee, any resident voter enrolled in the party may call a 
special caucus for the purpose of electing the committeeT---He 
ml:isto-fellew following the notice procedure of subsection 3. 
Sec. 4. 21-A MRSA §321, as enacted by PL 1985, c. 161, §6, is 
amended to read: 
§321. 
Time and place; procedure 
Each party shall hold a state convention between March 1st 
and August 1st biennially during each general election year. 
1. 
Time, 
place 
and 
representation. 
The 
party's state 
committee 
shall 
determine 
the 
time, 
place 
and 
basis 
of 
representation for the convention. 
Delegates must be qualified 
to 
vote 
in 
the 
party's 
primary 
election 
unless 
otherwise 
permitted by party rules. 
2. 
Proceedings at convention. 
The convention shall do the 
following: 
A. 
Elect a secretary and a eaairmaa chair of the convention 
in that order; 
B. 
Adopt a platform for the next general election; 
C. 
Nominate the number of presidential electors to which 
the State is entitled; 
D. 
Determine the size of the state, district and county 
committees and the method of their electionTL 
E. 
Elect 
a 
district 
committee 
for 
each 
congressional 
district; and 
F. 
Elect a county committee for each county from persons 
nominated at municipal caucuses held in the countYL unless 
party rules provide 
for 
county 
committee 
members 
to be 
elected directly by their respective municipalities. 
If a 
municipa1i ty entitled to nominate a person for election to 
the county committee fails to do so, 
the convention may 
elect 
any 
resident 
of 
that municipality 
to 
the 
county 
committee. 
Sec. 5. 21-A MRS A §322, as amended by PL 1997, c. 436, §46, 
is further amended to read: 
§322. 
Committee functions 
bemmittees--&~&eG-~-~he--eea¥eatiea 
district and county committees of qualified 
governed by the following provisions. 
State, congressional 
political parties are 
1. 
Committees 
to 
orqanize 
and 
report. 
~he--eeffiffii~~ees 
e±ee~ea-a~-~he-£~~~~-~~-~~~~it~~-~-Gay&-a~~eF-~he 
eeavea~ieaT 
The secretary of each committee shall notify the 
state committee of the name and residence of its ehair::Hlaa chair 
and secretary wi thin 10 days after their election. 
The state 
committee shall hold an organizational meeting within 30 days 
after the convention. 
2. 
State committee to report orqanization. 
The chai rand 
the 
secretary of 
the 
state 
committee 
shall certify to 
the 
Secretary of State the platform adopted and the names of the 
party's candidates for presidential 
e±ee~er::s elector wi thin 30 
days after the convention. 
The chair and the secretary of the 
state committee shall certify to the Secretary of State the name 
and residence of the chair and secretary of each committee and of 
each committee member within 20 days after their election. 
3. 
Term of office and duties of committees. 
The committees 
and their officers shall hold office as prescribed in their 
bylaws and shall perform the duties imposed upon them by the 
convention and their bylaws. 
4. 
Certain officers of state committee. 
The 
ehair::maa 
chair, viee-ehair::maa vice-chair, treasurer and finance ehair::maa 
chair of the state committee may be chosen from outside the 
membership of the state committee. 
SUMMARY 
This bill makes the following changes to the laws governing 
political caucuses, conventions and committees. 
1. 
It provides that a person who meets certain requirements 
may vote in any election in a municipality, including a biennial 
municipal caucus. 
2. 
It provides that a person who has not attained 18 years 
of age may vote in a municipal caucus if that person will be at 
least 18 years of age as of the date of the next general election. 
3. 
It changes gender-specific language. 
4. 
It changes the requirements for the calling, timing and 
notice of a biennial municipal caucus. 
5. 
It provides that delegates to a party's state convention 
must be qualified to vote in the party's primary election unless 
otherwise permitted by party rules. 
6. 
It provides that a state convention shall elect a county 
committee for each county from persons nominated at municipal 
caucuses held in the county, 
unless party rules provide for 
county 
committee 
members 
to 
be 
elected 
directly 
by 
their 
respective municipalities. 
7. 
It amends the provisions of law that govern the timing 
for committees to organize and report.