An Act To
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1730
Committee Amendment CA_A_H459 (House)
Amends: 21-A MRSA §22, 21-A MRSA §23, 30-A MRSA §2504

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT .. 14" to H.P. 1232, L.D. 1730, Bill, "An Act To 
Amend the Laws Governing Elections" 
Amend the bill by striking out all of sections 1 and 2 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §22, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 248, §1, is amended 
to read: 
2. Ballots. Ballets Official ballots, whether in paper form or in an electronic or 
image fo1mat1 are not public records and may be inspected only in accordance with this 
Title. For purposes of this subsection, "official ballot" means a ballot used by a voter to 
cast a vote at an election. "Official ballot" includes an absentee ballot and a ballot cast on 
election day at a voting place.' 
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 4 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 4. 21-A MRSA §23, sub-§7, as amended by PL 2011, c. 534, §1, is fiuther 
amended to read: 
7. Ballots and other election materials. For 22 months following an election in 
which a candidate for a federal office is on the ballot, the clerk shall keep the ballots, 
tabulation materials related to those ballots and challenge certificates, if any, in the clerk's 
office or other secure location under the control of the clerk, unless sooner released to the 
Secretary of State or required by the Secreta1y of State to be kept longer. Once released to 
the Secretary of State, they must be kept by the Secretary of State until any appeal period 
bearing on the validity of the election has expired. Notwithstanding this subsection, test 
ballots and documentation of preelection testing of tabulating or accessible voting devices 
must be kept for 6 months and ballots used for municipal elections conducted under this 
Title, referenda elections or special legislative elections must be kept for 2 months.' 
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 15. 
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 21. 
Amend the bill by striking out all of sections 23 to 27. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ./t "to H.P. 1232, L.D. 1730 
Amend the bill in section 28 in subsection 2-A in paragraph A in the 3rd line (page 7, 
line 8 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "authorized" and inserting the following: 
'approved' 
Amend the bill in section 40 in subsection 5 in the 5th from last line (page 11, line 32 
in L.D.) by striking out the following: "683" and inserting the following: '682' 
Amend the bill by inserting after section 45 the following: 
'Sec. 46. 30-A MRSA §2504, as corrected by RR 1999, c. 1, §43, is amended to 
read: 
§2504. Ch'culation of petitions for local initiative 
No municipality may enact any chatter provision or ordinance prohibiting the 
circulation of petitions for any local initiative or restricting the circulation or signing of 
petitions for any local initiative to a municipal facility or other specific location. A 
Unless otherwise provided by charter, a petition related to any local initiative, including, 
without limitation, petitions filed under section 2522, section 2528, subsection 5, the 
Constitution of Maine, Article IV, Part Third, Section 21, or a municipal charter 
provision authorizing local initiatives, may be circulated as provided i11 Title 21 A, 
seetion 903 1A,. by any resident of the State who is a registered voter of the State. A 
circulator of a petition shall solicit signatures for the petition by presenting the petition to 
a registered voter of the municipality, asking the voter to sign the petition and personally 
witnessing the voter affixing the voter's signature to the petition. The circulator shall 
require a voter who signs the petition to print the voter's name and address on the petition. 
The circulator of the petition shall sign the petition and 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, 
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 that each signature authorized under section 
153-A was made by the authorized signer in the presence and at the direction of the voter. 
After administering the oath to the circulator, the notary public or other authorized person 
shall sign the notarial certificate on the petition while in the presence of the circulator. ' 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment, which is the majority report of the committee, makes the following 
changes to the bill. 
1. It removes the provisions of the bill that authorize the Secretary of State to omit 
the write-in space on a ballot for any office in which there is no declared write-in 
candidate. 
2. It removes the provisions of the bill that change the laws restricting certain 
activities at and around the polls on election day. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEEAMENDMENT"A "to H.P. 1232,L.D.1730 
3. It adds a provision to the bill clarifying the procedures used to collect signatures 
on petitions for local initiatives. 
4. It makes several clarifying technical changes to the bill. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Approved: 05/28/19 .tW'ae.. 
LD 1730 
LR2291(02) 
An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Elections 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended liy Committee Amendment .(.J. ( µ -Y s<t) 
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Minor cost increase - General Fund 
Additional costs to the Department of Secretary of State associated with this legislation can be absorbed within 
existing budgeted resources. 
LR2291(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1