An Act Regarding Telephonic Political Communications and Push Polling
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 0412
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: COOPER, BREEN, BLUME
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1014, 21-A MRSA §1014-B

Legislative Document 
No. 412 
H.P. 278 
House of Representatives, February 12, 2015 
An Act Regarding Telephonic Political Communications and Push 
Polling 
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
ROBERT B. HUNT 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative COOPER of Yarmouth. 
Cosponsored by Senator BREEN of Cumberland and 
Representative: BLUME of York. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  21-A MRSA §1014, sub-§5, as amended by PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §9, is 
further amended to read: 
5.  Telephone calls.  Prerecorded automated telephone calls and scripted live 
telephone communications, including telephone calls made for the purposes of 
researching the views of voters, that name a clearly identified candidate during the 21 
days before a primary election or the 35 days before a general election must clearly state 
at the start of the call the name of the person who or organization that made or financed 
the expenditure for the communication, except for prerecorded automated telephone calls 
paid for by the candidate that use the candidate's voice in the telephone call and that are 
made in support of that candidate.  Telephone calls made for the purposes of researching 
the views of voters are not required to include the disclosure.  If the respondent to a 
scripted live telephone communication requests additional information on the person or 
organization that made or financed the expenditure for the communication, the caller 
must describe to the respondent where such information, including information relating to 
the source or sources of funding for the person or organization, is available for inspection. 
Sec. 2.  21-A MRSA §1014-B, sub-§2, ¶A, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 416, §1, is 
amended to read: 
A.  A person may not authorize, commission, conduct or administer a push poll by 
telephone or telephonic device unless, during at the start of each call, the caller 
identifies the person or organization sponsoring or authorizing the call by stating 
"This is a paid political advertisement by (name of persons or organizations)," and 
identifies the organization making the call, if different from the sponsor, by stating 
"This call is conducted by (name of organization)."  If the respondent requests 
additional information on the person or organization sponsoring or authorizing the 
call, the caller must describe to the respondent where additional information on the 
person or organization, including information relating to the source or sources of 
funding for the person or organization, is available for inspection. 
SUMMARY 
This bill amends the political communications laws to require that all prerecorded 
automated telephone calls and scripted live telephone communications, including those 
made for the purposes of researching the views of voters, that name a clearly identified 
candidate during the 21 days before a primary election or the 35 days before a general 
election clearly state at the start of the call the name of the person or organization that 
made or financed the expenditure for the communication.  The bill requires that, for 
scripted live telephone communications, if the respondent requests additional information 
on the person or organization that made or financed the expenditure for the 
communication, the caller must describe where such information, including information 
relating to the source or sources of funding for the person or organization, is available for 
inspection.  The bill also amends the push polling laws to require that a caller disclose at 
the start of a call the person or organization sponsoring or authorizing the call and the 
organization making the call if different from the sponsor.  Current law requires only that 
these disclosures be made at some point during the call.  This bill also requires that, if a 
respondent requests additional information on the person or organization sponsoring or 
authorizing the call, the caller must describe to the respondent where such information, 
including information relating to the source or sources of funding for the person or 
organization, is available for inspection.