An Act To Change and Clarify the Maine Clean Election Laws
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 1679
Committee: Legal and Veterans Affairs
Sponsors: SCHNEIDER, SAMSON, BEAUDETTE, CLEARY
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1019-B, 21-A MRSA §1

Legislative Document 
No. 1679 
S.P.585 
March 22, 2007 
An Act To Change and Clarify the Maine Clean Election Laws 
Reference to the Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Senator SCHNEIDER of Penobscot. 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Cosponsored by Representative SAMSON of Auburn and Representatives: BEAUDETTE of 
Biddeford, CLEARY of Houlton, MacDONALD of Boothbay. 
Printed on recycled. paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §1019-B, sub-§l, ~, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 448, §3, is 
amended to read: 
B. 
Is presumed in races involving a candidate who is certified as a Maine Clean 
Election Act candidate under section 1125, subsection 5 to be any expenditure made 
to design, produce or disseminate a communication that names or depicts a clearly 
identified candidate and is disseminated during the U 60 days, including election 
day, before a primary election; the U 60 days, including election day, before a 
general election; or during a special election until and on election day. 
Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §1l22, sub-§8, as amended by PL 2001, c. 465, §3, IS 
further amended to read: 
8. Qualifying period. "Qualitying period" means the following. 
A. 
For a gubernatorial participating candidate, the qualitying period begins 
November 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. 
B. For State Senate or State House of Representatives participating candidates, the 
qualitying period begins January I st of the election year and ends at 5 :00 p.m. on 
April 15th of that 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. 3. 21-A MRSA §1l25, sub-§12-B is enacted to read: 
12-B. Enrollment status maintained. A participating and certified candidate must 
maintain enrollment in the same political party that the candidate was enrolled in at the 
time of the preceding general election. {fthe candidate was unenrolled in a political party 
during the last general election, that unenrolled status must be maintained after the 
candidate is certified as a Maine Clean Election Act candidate. 
Sec. 4. Rules. By October I, 2007, the Commission on Governmental Ethics and 
Election Practices shall amend the rules adopted under the Maine Clean Election Act, 
which are major substantive rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. The 
amended rules must provide: 
I 
1. That campaign signs to be reused from a previous campaign for a Maine Clean 
Election Act candidate are not required to be changed to update required disclaimer 
information; 
2. An equitable formula for allowing for Maine Clean Election Act funds spent on 
candidate travel expenses that is based on the square miles contained within a candidate's 
legislative district; and 
3. For permitting primary funds distributed from the Maine Clean Election Fund to 
be spent during a general election if the certified candidate was unopposed in the primary. 
Page I - 123LROI84(Ol}-1 
i 
Sec. 5. Report. By January 15,2008 the Commission on Governmental Ethics and 
Election Practices shall issue to the Joint Standing Committee on Legal and Veterans 
Affairs a report suggesting statutory changes that will assist in narrowing to one the 
number of unenrolJed gubernatorial candidates that may receive Maine Clean Election 
Act funds. 
SUMMARY 
This bill extends the period that certain expenditures under the Maine Clean Election 
Act are deemed independent expenditures from 21 days to 60 days prior to an election. 
This bill also repeals the provision in the Maine Clean Election Act that gives a longer 
qualifying period to unenrolled candidates. It also adds a provision to the terms of 
participation of the Maine Clean Election Act requiring a candidate to maintain the same 
enrollment status the candidate held at the time of the preceding general election prior to 
seeking certification as a Maine Clean Election Act candidate. 
The bill directs the 
Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices to adopt rules that will: 
permit a candidate to reuse campaign signs from a prior election without updating 
disclaimers; establish an equitable formula for the allowance of travel expenses based on 
the square miles in a candidate's legislative district; and permit primary funds to be spent 
during a general election if a candidate was unopposed in the primary. Finally, this bill 
directs the commission to issue a report that suggests a statutory mechanism for 
narrowing to one the number of unenrolled gubernatorial candidates that may receive 
Maine Clean Election Act funds. 
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