Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 1145
Committee: State and Local Govenunent
Sponsors: DAVIS, BEAUDETTE, BOLAND, CELLI, GILES, SCHATZ, SIROIS, TILTON

MAINE STATE LEGISLATURE 
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124th MAINE LEGISLA URE 
Legislative Document 
No. 1145 
H.P.789 
House of Representatives, March 23,2009 
RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of 
M~ine To Amend the Time Frame for Towns To Certify Citizen. 
Initiative and People's Veto Signatures 
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Govenunent suggested and ordered printed. 
'77l;U~d;frl, 1ll1lC~{ 
MILLICENTM. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Presented by Represent.ative STR.A:NG BURGESS of Cumberland. 
Cosponsored by Senator DAVIS of Cumberland and 
Representatives: BEAUDETTE of Biddeford, BOLAND of Sanford, CELLI of Brewer, 
. CLARK of Easton, GILES of Belfast, SCHATZ of Blue Hill, SIROIS of Tunier, TILTON of 
Hanington. 
Printl!d 011 rl!cyclcu papl!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. IV, Pt. Third, §20, as amended by CR 2005, c. 2, IS 
further amended to read: 
Section 20. Meaning of words" electors," "people," "recess of Legislature," 
"statewide election," "measure," "circulator,~' and "written petition"; written 
petitions for people's veto; written petitions for direct initiative. As used in any 
of the 3 preceding sections or in this section the words "electors" and "people" mean 
the electors of the State qualifi.ed to vote for Governor; "receSs of the Legislature" 
means the adjournment without day of a session of the Legislature; "statewide 
election" means any election held throughout the State on a particular day; "measure" 
means an Act, bill, resolve or-resolution proposed by the people, or 2 or more such, 
or part or parts of such, as the case may be; "circulator" means a person who solicits 
signatures for written petitions, and who must be a resident of this State and whose 
name must appear on the voting list of the city, town or plantation of the circulator's 
residence as qualified to vote for Governor; "written petition" means one or more 
petitions written or printed, or partly written and partly printed, with the original 
signatures of the petitioners attached, verified as to the authenticity of the signatures 
by the oath of the circulator that all of the signatures to the petition were made in the 
presence ofthe circulator and that to the best of the circulator's lmowledge and belief 
each signature is the signature of the person whose name it purports to be, and 
accompanied by the certificate of the official authorized by law to maintain the voting 
list or to certify signatures on petitions for voters on the voting list of the city, town 
or plantation in which the petitioners reside that their names appear on the voting list 
of the city, town or plantation of the official as qualified to vote for Governor. The 
oath of the circulator must be sworn to in the presence of a person authorized by law 
to administer oaths. Written petitions for a pt?0ple's veto pursuant to Article IV, Part 
Third, Section 17 must be submitted to the appropriate officials of cities, towns or 
plantations, or state election officials as authorized by law, for detennination of 
whether the petitioners are qualified voters by the hour of 5:00p.m., on the ~ 
15th 
day before the petition must be filed in the office of the Secretary of State, or, if such 
~ 
15th day is a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday, by 5:00 p.m., on the next day 
which is not a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday. Written petitions for a direct 
initiative pursuant to Article IV, Part Third, Section 18 must be submitted to the 
appropriate officials of cities, towns or plantations, or state election officials as 
authorized by iaw, for determination of whether the petitioners are qualified voters by 
the hour of 5:00 p.m., on the -Wtb 20th day before the petition must be filed in the. 
office of the Secretary of State, or, if such -Wtb 20th day is a Saturday, a Sunday or a 
- legal holiday, by 5:00p.m., on the next day which is not a Saturday, a Sunday or a 
legal holiday. Such officials must complete the certification of only those petitions 
submitted by these deadlines and must return them to the circulators or their agents 
within ~ 11 days for a petition for a people's veto and within.§. 12 days for a petition 
for a direct initiative, Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays excepted, of the date on 
which such petitions were submitted to them. Signatures on petitions not submitted to 
Page I - 124LRlS63(Ol)-1 
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the appropriate local or state officials by these deadlines may not be certified. The 
petition shall set forth the full text of the measure requested or proposed. Petition 
fonns shall be furnished or approved by the Secretary of State' upon written 
application signed and notarized and submitted to the office of the Secretary of State 
by a resident of this State whose name must appear on the voting list of the city, town 
or plantation of that resident as qualified to vote for Governor. The full text of a 
measure submitted to a vote of the people under the provisions of the Constitution 
need not be printed on the official ballots, ~ut, 'until otherwise provided by the 
Legislature, the Secretary of State shall prepare the ballots in such fonn as to present 
the question or questions concisely and intelligibly.' 
; 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 tins 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 increase the amount of 
time provided to officials of cities, towns and plantations to certifY.that signatures 
on petitions for a people's veto and on petitions for a direct initiative appear on· 
. voting lists for those cities, towns andplantations?'i 
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 memoers of the 
Legislature. The Governor shall review· the returns, 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 
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 to amend the Constitution of Maine to increase the 
amount of time provided to officials of cities, towns and plantations to certify that 
signatures on petitions for a people's veto and on petitions for a direct initiative 
appear on voting lists for those cities, towns and plantati~ns.