An Act To Permit Unenrolled Voters To Cast Ballots in Primary Elections
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 0078
Committee Amendment CA_A_H155 (House)
Amends: 21-A MRSA §111

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" 11 "to H.P. 65, L.D. 78, Bill, "An Act To Permit 
Unenrolled Voters To Cast Ballots in Primary Elections" 
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 1 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §111, sub-§5, as amended by PL 2005, c. 387, § 1, is further 
amended to read: 
5. Enrollment. The person must be enrolled in a party in that municipality to vote at 
that party's caucus, or convention or primary election, unless otherwise permitted by the 
party pursuant to section 340.' 
Amend the bill in section 3 in §341 in the first paragraph in the 3rd and 4th lines 
(page l, lines 9 and 10 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "Municipal clerks'' and 
inserting the following: 'The Secreta1y of State' 
Amend the bill in section 5 in subsection 3 in the 4th and 5th lines (page 1, lines 17 
and 18 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "Municipal clerks" and inserting the 
following: 'The Secretaiy of State' 
Amend the bill by adding after section 5 the following: 
'Sec. 6. Appropriations and allocations. 
The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
SECRETARY OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF 
Bureau of Administrative Services and Corporations 0692 
Initiative: Provides funding for ballot and programming costs stemming from allowing 
unenrolled voters to vote in primary elections. 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
2017-18 
$140,600 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
2018-19 
$0 
I 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A "to H.P. 65, L.D. 78 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
SUMMARY 
$140,600 
$0 
This amendment, which is the minority report of the committee, provides that the 
Secretary of State, rather than municipal clerks, is required to establish procedures for 
voters who are not enrolled in a party to vote in a primary election. The bill removes the 
requirement that a voter must be enrolled in a party to participate in a caucus or 
convention. This amendment provides that a voter must be enrolled in order to take part 
in a party's caucus or convention. 
The amendment also adds an appropriations and 
allocations section. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 04/28/17 frac.. 
LD78 
LR 393(02) 
An Act To Permit Unenrolled Voters To Cast Ballots in Primary Elections 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment ~· (JI· 155) 
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Potential State Mandate - Unfunded 
FY 2017-18 
FY 2018-19 
Projections 
FY 2019-20 
Projections 
FY 2020-21 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/ Allocations 
General Fund 
State Mandates 
Required Activity 
$140,600 
$0 
$140,600 
$0 
Increases the number of voters voting in primary elections by allowing unenrolled 
voters to vote in one party's primary elections. 
$45,200 
$0 
$45,200 
$0 
Unit Affected 
Local Cost 
Municipality 
Insignificant 
statewide 
The required local activities in this bill may represent a state mandate pursuant to the Constitution of Maine. If the bill 
does require a local unit of government to expand or modify its activities so as to necessitate additional expenditures 
from local revenue, the state mandate provisions of the Constitution of Maine require either: (1) General Fund 
appropriations be provided to fund at least 90% of any additional necessitated local costs of the mandate; or (2) a 
Mandate Preamble be added to the bill and two-thirds of the members of each House vote to exempt the mandate from 
the funding requirement. If the bill does represent a state mandate and neither one of these actions occurs, the local 
units of government will not be required to implement the mandated activities. 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
The bill includes a General Fund appropriation of $140,600 in fiscal year 2017-18 to the Department of Secretary of 
State for ballot costs and programming as a result of allowing unenrolled voters to vote in a primary election. 
LR0393(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1