An Act To Authorize Multiparty Candidate Nominations for State Offices
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1357
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: BRAKEY, CHENETTE, CHIPMAN
Amends: 21-A MRSA §334, 21-A MRSA §335, 21-A MRSA §341, 21-A MRSA §601

Legislative Document
No. 1357
S.P. 465
In Senate, April 6, 2017
An Act To Authorize Multiparty Candidate Nominations for State 
Offices
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator BRAKEY of Androscoggin.
Cosponsored by Senators: CHENETTE of York, CHIPMAN of Cumberland, Representative: 
CASÁS of Rockport.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  21-A MRSA §334, as amended by PL 2009, c. 253, §16, is further 
amended to read: 
§334.  Qualification of candidate for primary nomination 
A candidate for nomination by primary election must file a primary petition and 
consent under sections 335 and 336.  The A candidate for federal or county office must 
be enrolled, on or before March 15th, in the party named in the petition, and a candidate 
must be eligible to file a petition as a candidate for nomination by primary election under 
section 144, subsection 3.  The registrar in the candidate's municipality of residence must 
certify to that fact on a form designed by the Secretary of State. 
Sec. 2.  21-A MRSA §335, sub-§§1 to 3, as enacted by PL 1985, c. 161, §6, are 
amended to read: 
1.  Content.  A primary petition must contain the name of only one candidate, his the 
candidate's place of residence, his the candidate's party, the name of the party from which 
the nomination is sought, the office sought and electoral division.  A primary petition 
may contain as many separate papers as necessary and may contain the candidate's 
consent required by section 336. 
A.  When 2 United States Senators or 2 county commissioners are to be nominated, 
the primary petition must contain the term of office sought by the candidate. 
2.  By whom signed.  A primary petition may be signed only by voters of the 
electoral division which that is to make the nomination and who are enrolled in the party 
named in the petition from which the nomination is sought.  Other signatures are void. 
3.  How signed.  The voter must personally sign his the voter's name in such a 
manner as to satisfy the registrar of his the voter's municipality that he the voter is a 
registered voter and enrolled in the party named on the petition from which the 
nomination is sought.  Either the voter or the circulator of the petition must print the 
voter's name. 
Sec. 3.  21-A MRSA §335, sub-§7, ¶A, as amended by PL 2009, c. 253, §17, is 
further amended to read: 
A.  The circulator of a primary petition shall verify by oath or affirmation before a 
notary public or other person authorized by law to administer oaths or affirmations 
that the circulator personally witnessed all of the signatures to the petition 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; each signature authorized under section 153-A 
was made by the authorized signer in the presence and at the direction of the voter; 
and each person is enrolled in the party named in the petition from which the 
nomination is sought and is a resident of the electoral division named in the petition. 
Sec. 4.  21-A MRSA §341 is enacted to read: 
§341.  Nomination by more than one party 
A candidate may be nominated for a state office by more than one party.  A candidate 
is not required to be an enrolled member of a party to serve as that party's nominee for 
state office. 
Sec. 5.  21-A MRSA §601, sub-§2, ¶B, as amended by PL 2013, c. 131, §16, is 
further amended to read: 
B.  The ballot must contain the legal name of each candidate, without any title, and 
municipality or township of residence of each candidate, arranged alphabetically with 
the last name first, under the proper office designation.  Municipality of residence is 
not required to be printed for candidates for President and Vice President of the 
United States.  The initial letters of the last names of the candidates must be printed 
directly beneath each other in a vertical line.  The names of candidates for any one 
office may not be split into more than one column regardless of number.  The name 
of each candidate may be printed on the ballot in only one space.  For the general 
election ballot, the party or political designation of each candidate must be printed 
with each candidate's name.  In the case of a candidate nominated for a state office by 
more than one party as described in section 341, the candidate's name must appear on 
the ballot once with the name of each party that nominated the candidate listed below 
the candidate's name.  The party or political designation may be abbreviated. 
SUMMARY 
This bill allows a candidate to be nominated for a state office by more than one party.  
A candidate is not required to be an enrolled member of a party to serve as that party's 
nominee for state office.  The name of such a candidate must appear on the ballot once 
with the name of each party that nominated the candidate listed below the candidate's 
name.