An Act To Alter the Distribution of Maine Clean Election Act Funding
Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 0820
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: CAREY
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1125

Legislative Document 
No. 820 
H.P. 616 
House of Representatives, March 3, 2011 
An Act To Alter the Distribution of Maine Clean Election Act 
Funding 
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative CAREY of Lewiston. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  21-A MRSA §1125, sub-§3, ¶A, as amended by PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. F, 
§1 and c. 443, Pt. B, §6, is further amended to read: 
A.  For a gubernatorial candidate, at least 3,250 750 verified registered voters of this 
State must support the candidacy by providing a qualifying contribution to that 
candidate; 
Sec. 2.  21-A MRSA §1125, sub-§6, as amended by PL 2009, c. 105, §1, is 
further amended to read: 
6.  Restrictions on contributions and expenditures for certified candidates.  After 
certification, a candidate must limit the candidate's campaign expenditures and 
obligations, including outstanding obligations, to the revenues distributed to the candidate 
from the fund and, except as provided in subsection 6-D, may not accept any 
contributions unless specifically authorized by the commission.  Candidates may also 
accept and spend interest earned on fund revenues in campaign bank accounts.  All 
revenues distributed to a certified candidate from the fund must be used for campaign-
related purposes. The candidate, the treasurer, the candidate's committee authorized 
pursuant to section 1013-A, subsection 1 or any agent of the candidate and committee 
may not use these revenues for any but campaign-related purposes.  A television 
advertisement purchased with these revenues must be closed-captioned when closed-
captioning is available from the broadcasting station who that will broadcast the 
advertisement.  The commission shall publish guidelines outlining permissible 
campaign-related expenditures. 
Sec. 3.  21-A MRSA §1125, sub-§6-D is enacted to read: 
6-D.  Additional contributions authorized; gubernatorial candidates.  After 
certification pursuant to subsection 5, a gubernatorial candidate may continue to collect 
contributions in the amount of $5 from verified registered voters in this State.  A voter 
who provides a qualifying contribution during the qualifying period to a candidate in a 
contested primary may provide an additional $5 contribution to that candidate after 
certification pursuant to subsection 5. 
Sec. 4.  21-A MRSA §1125, sub-§8, ¶E, as amended by PL 2009, c. 363, §8, is 
further amended to read: 
E.  For contested gubernatorial primary elections, the amount of revenues distributed 
is $400,000 an amount equal to $55 for each qualifying contribution collected 
pursuant to subsection 3, paragraph A, up to a maximum of $350,000 per candidate in 
the primary election. 
Sec. 5.  21-A MRSA §1125, sub-§8, ¶F, as amended by PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. B, 
§6, is further amended to read: 
F.  For gubernatorial general elections, the amount of revenues distributed is 
$600,000 an amount equal to $55 for each qualifying contribution collected pursuant 
to subsection 3, paragraph A if that amount was not distributed pursuant to paragraph 
E, plus an amount equal to $55 for each additional $5 contribution collected pursuant 
to subsection 6-D, up to a maximum of $750,000 per candidate in the general 
election. 
SUMMARY 
This bill does the following. 
1.  It decreases from 3,250 to 750 the number of qualifying contributions required for 
a gubernatorial candidate to be certified as a Maine Clean Election Act candidate. 
2.  It provides that a Maine Clean Election Act gubernatorial candidate may continue 
to collect $5 contributions from registered voters in the State after certification as a Maine 
Clean Election Act candidate. 
3.  It allows a voter who provides a $5 qualifying contribution to a gubernatorial 
candidate in a contested primary to provide an additional $5 contribution to that candidate 
after certification. 
4.  It provides that each $5 qualifying contribution and each $5 additional 
contribution must be matched by a distribution of $55 from the Maine Clean Election 
Fund. 
5.  It decreases the distribution limits for gubernatorial primary elections from 
$400,000 to $350,000 and increases the distribution limits for gubernatorial general 
elections from $600,000 to $750,000.