An Act Regarding Political Signs
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 0258
Committee: Legal and Veterans Affairs
Sponsors: DAVIS, SMITH, CLARK, CROCKETT, JOHNSON, THOMAS, RA YE, ROSEN
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1014

Legislative Document 
No. 258 
H.P.204 
House of Representatives, January 27,2009 
An Act Regarding Political Signs 
Reference to the Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative DAVIS of Sangerville. 
Cosponsored by Senator SMITH of Piscataquis and 
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MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: CLARK of Millinocket, CROCKETT of Bethel, JOHNSON of Greenville, 
THOMAS of Ripley, Senators: RA YE of Washington, ROSEN of Hancock. 
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 21-A MRS A §1014, sub-§I, as amended by PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §9, is 
fmiher amended to read: 
1. Authorized by candidate. Whenever a person makes an expenditure to finance a 
communication expressly advocating the election or defeat of a clearly identified 
candidate through broadcasting stations, newspapers, magazines, campaign signs or other 
outdoor advertising facilities, publicly accessible sites on the Internet, direct mails or 
other similar types of general public political advertising or through flyers, handbills, 
bumper stickers and other nonperiodical publications, the communication, if authorized 
by a candidate, a candidate's authorized political committee or their agents, must clearly 
and conspicuously state that the communication has been so authorized and must clearly 
state the name and address of the person who made or financed the expenditure for the 
communication. The following forms of political communication do not require the 
name and address of the person who made or authorized the expenditure for the 
communication because the name or address would be so small as to be illegible or 
infeasible: ashtrays, badges and badge holders, balloons, campaign buttons, clothing, 
coasters, combs, emery boards, envelopes, erasers, glasses, key rings, letter openers, 
matchbooks, nail files, noisemakers, paper and plastic cups, pencils, pens, plastic 
tableware, 12-inch or shorter rulers, swizzle sticks, tickets to fund-raisers and similar 
items determined by the commission to be too small and Ulmecessary for the disclosures 
required by this section. A communication sign that is at least 2 square feet in size or 
larger that includes a candidate's name and that is financed by a the candidate or the 
candidate's committee that is made through a broadcasting station is not required to state 
the address of the candidate or committee that who financed the communication~. 
Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §1014, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2003, c. 510, Pt. F, §1 
and affected by c. 599, § 15, is further amended to read: 
2. Not authorized by candidate. If the communication described in subsection 1 is 
not authorized by a candidate, a candidate's authorized political committee or their agents, 
the communication must clearly and conspicuously state that the communication is not 
authorized by any candidate and state the name and address of the person who made or 
financed the expenditure for the communication. If the communication is in written 
form, the communication must contain at the bottom of the communication in print that is 
no smaller in size than 10-point bold print, Times New Roman font, the words "NOT 
PAID FOR OR AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE." 
Sec. 3. 21-A MRSA §1014, sub-§2-A, as amended by PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §9, 
is further amended to read: 
2-A. Other communications. Whenever a person makes an expenditure to finance 
a communication that names or depicts a clearly identified candidate and that is 
disseminated during the 21 days before a primary election or 35 days before a general 
election through the media described in subsection 1, the communication must state the 
name and address of the person who made or financed the communication and a 
statement that the communication was or was not authorized by the candidate. The 
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disclosure is not required if the communication was not made for the purpose of 
influencing the candidate's nomination for election or election. 
SUMMARY 
This bill removes the requirement in the election laws that the address of a person 
who pays for a communication made for or against a candidate be on the communication. 
The bill also provides that the name of a candidate or candidate's committee does not 
have to be on a sign as having financed the sign if the candidate's name is prominently 
displayed on the sign and the sign is at least 2 square feet or larger in size.