Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 0053
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: GUERIN, MAKER, GILLWAY, LUCHINI, NADEAU, PICKETT, TUELL, DIAMOND, DILL, KATZ

Legislative Document
No. 53
H.P. 39
House of Representatives, January 10, 2017
RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of 
Maine To Prohibit Payment Per Signature for Citizen Petition 
Drives
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative GUERIN of Glenburn.
Cosponsored by Senator MAKER of Washington and
Representatives: GILLWAY of Searsport, LUCHINI of Ellsworth, NADEAU of Winslow, 
PICKETT of Dixfield, TUELL of East Machias, Senators: DIAMOND of Cumberland, DILL 
of Penobscot, KATZ of Kennebec.
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 is 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 qualified 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, and a circulator may not be paid 
based upon the number of signatures the circulator collects; "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 of the circulator and that to the best of the circulator's knowledge 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 people'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 determination of whether the petitioners are 
qualified voters by the hour of 5:00 p.m., on the 5th day before the petition must be filed 
in the office of the Secretary of State, or, if such 5th 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 law, for determination of whether the petitioners 
are qualified voters by the hour of 5:00 p.m., on the 10th day before the petition must be 
filed in the office of the Secretary of State, or, if such 10th 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.  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 2 days 
for a petition for a people's veto and within 5 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 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 forms 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, but, until otherwise provided by 
the Legislature, the Secretary of State shall prepare the ballots in such form 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 this 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 prohibit a person 
who collects signatures for a written petition for a people's veto or for the 
direct initiative of legislation from being paid based upon the number of 
signatures the person collects?" 
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 members 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 prohibit a person who 
collects signatures for a written petition for a people's veto or for the direct initiative of 
legislation from being paid based upon the number of signatures the person collects.