Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1372
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: WADSWORTH, STANLEY

Legislative Document
No. 1372
H.P. 993
House of Representatives, March 21, 2019
RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of 
Maine To Ensure That Voting Rights Belong Only to Citizens in 
Municipal or Other Local Elections
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative WADSWORTH of Hiram.
Cosponsored by Representative: STANLEY of Medway.
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. II, §1 is amended to read:
Section 1.  Qualifications of electors; written ballot; military servicemen; 
students.  Only a citizen of the United States may vote in a municipal or other local 
election.  Every citizen of the United States of the age of 18 years and upwards, excepting 
persons under guardianship for reasons of mental illness, having his or her residence 
established in this State, shall be an elector for Governor, Senators and Representatives, 
and local or municipal office in the city, town or plantation where his or her residence has 
been established, if he or she continues to reside in this State; and the elections shall be 
by written ballot.  But persons in the military, naval or marine service of the United 
States, or this State, shall not be considered as having obtained such established residence 
by being stationed in any garrison, barrack or military place, in any city, town or 
plantation; nor shall the residence of a student at any seminary of learning entitle the 
student to the right of suffrage in the city, town or plantation where such seminary is 
established.  No person, however, shall be deemed to have lost residence by reason of the 
person's absence from the state in the military service of the United States, or of this 
State.
Indians.  Every Indian, residing on tribal reservations and otherwise qualified, shall 
be an elector in all county, state and national elections.
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 permit only 
citizens of the United States to vote in municipal or other local 
elections?"
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 specify that only a 
person who is a citizen of the United States may vote in a municipal or other local 
election.