Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 0300
Committee: Legal and Veterans Affairs
Sponsors: HANLEY, KNIGHT, McCORMICK, BEAUDETTE, FLOOD, HARLOW, JACKSON, PLUMMER, SYKES, TARDY, WHEELER

Legislative Document 
No. 300 
H.P.244 
House of Representatives, January 19,2007 
RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of 
Maine To Restrict the Voting Privileges of Certain Incarcerated 
Felons 
Reference to the Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
7J1~ 
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MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative HANLEY of Gardiner. 
, 
Cosponsored by Representative KNIGHT of Livermore Falls, Senator McCORMICK of 
Kennebec and Representatives: BEAUDETTE of Biddeford, FLOOD of Winthrop, HARLOW 
of Portland, JACKSON of Allagash, PLUMMER of Windham, SYKES of Harrison, TARDY 
of Newport, WHEELER of Kittery. 
Primed on ft:'cydeJ pup.:r 
Constitutional amendment. Resolved: 
Two thirds of each branch of the 
Legislature concurring, that the following amendment to the Constitution of Maine be 
proposed: 
Constitution, Art. II, §1 is amended to read: 
Section 1. 
Qualifications of electors; written ballot; military servicemen; 
students. 
Every citizen of the United States of the age of 18 years and upwards, 
excepting persons under guardianship for reasons of mental illness, having his or her 
residence established in this State, shall be an elector for Governor, Senators and 
Representatives, in the city, town or plantation where his or her residence has been 
established, if he or she continues to reside in this State; and the elections shall be by 
written ballot. But persons in the military, naval or marine service of the United States, 
or this State, shall not be considered as having obtained such established residence by 
being stationed in any garrison, barrack or military place, in any city, town or plantation; 
nor shall the residence of a student at any seminary of learning entitle the student to the 
right of suffrage in the city, town or plantation where such seminary is established; nor 
may any person convicted of murder or a Class A or Class B crime or a crime in another 
jurisdiction that is comparable to murder or a Class A or Class B crime be entitled to the 
right of suffrage while that person is imprisoned for that crime in a correctional facility of 
the Department of Corrections. 
No person, however, shall be deemed to have lost 
residence by reason of the person's absence from the state in the military service of the 
United States, or ofthis State. 
Indians. Every Indian, residing on tribal reservations and otherwise qualified, shall 
be an elector in all county, state and national elections. 
; and be it further 
Constitutional referendum procedure; form of question; effective date. 
Resolved: That the municipal officers of this State shall notify the inhabitants of their 
respective cities, towns and plantations to meet, in the manner prescribed by law for 
holding a statewide election, at a statewide election held in the month of November 
following the passage of this resolution, to vote upon the ratification of the amendment 
proposed in this resolution by voting upon the following question: 
"Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to revoke the right of a convicted 
felon incarcerated in a Department of Corrections facility to vote?" 
The legal voters of each city, town and plantation shall vote by ballot on this question 
and designate their choice by a cross or check mark placed within the corresponding 
square below the word "Yes" or "No." The ballots must be received, sorted, counted and 
declared in open ward, town and plantation meetings and returns made to the Secretary of 
State in the same manner as votes for members of the Legislature. The Governor shall 
review the returns and, if it appears that a majority of the legal votes are cast in favor of 
the amendment, the Governor shall proclaim that fact without delay and the amendment 
becomes part of the Constitution of Maine on the date of the proclamation; and be it 
further 
Page I - 123LR0980(OI)-1 
Secretary of State shall prepare ballots. Resolved: That the Secretary of State 
shall prepare and furnish to each city, town and plantation all ballots, returns and copies 
of this resolution necessary to carry out the purposes of this referendum. 
SUMMARY 
This resolution proposes an amendment to the Constitution of Maine that revokes the 
right of a person in a correctional facility of the Department of Corrections who is 
convicted of murder or a Class A or Class B crime to vote.