Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1437
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: WHITE, LUCHINI, DOLLOFF, DUNPHY, HICKMAN, MARTIN, STROM, CYRWAY, DIAMOND, HERBIG

Legislative Document
No. 1437
H.P. 1049
House of Representatives, April 2, 2019
RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of 
Maine Concerning Alternative Signatures Made by Persons with 
Disabilities
Submitted by the Secretary of State pursuant to Joint Rule 204.
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative WHITE of Waterville.
Cosponsored by Senator LUCHINI of Hancock and
Representatives: DOLLOFF of Rumford, DUNPHY of Old Town, HICKMAN of Winthrop, 
MARTIN of Eagle Lake, STROM of Pittsfield, Senators: CYRWAY of Kennebec, DIAMOND 
of Cumberland, HERBIG of Waldo.
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; "written petition" means one or 
more petitions written or printed, or partly written and partly printed, with the original 
signatures of the petitioners, except when the Legislature by proper enactment has 
authorized alternative signatures for persons with disabilities, 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.
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 allow persons with 
disabilities to sign petitions in an alternative manner as authorized by the 
Legislature?"
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.
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 allow alternative 
signatures for persons with disabilities signing a petition for a people's veto and for a 
direct initiative as authorized by proper enactment by the Legislature.