An Act To Prohibit a Person from Collecting Contributions under the Maine Clean Election Act at a Polling Place
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 0218
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: CAMPBELL, GRATWICK, DILLINGHAM, FAY, NADEAU, SKOLFIELD, STANLEY, STEWART, CYRWAY, WOODSOME
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1125

Legislative Document
No. 218
H.P. 181
House of Representatives, January 22, 2019
An Act To Prohibit a Person from Collecting Contributions under 
the Maine Clean Election Act at a Polling Place
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative CAMPBELL of Orrington.
Cosponsored by Senator GRATWICK of Penobscot and
Representatives: DILLINGHAM of Oxford, FAY of Raymond, NADEAU of Winslow, 
SKOLFIELD of Weld, STANLEY of Medway, STEWART of Presque Isle, Senators: 
CYRWAY of Kennebec, WOODSOME of York.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  21-A MRSA §1125, sub-§2-A, as amended by IB 2015, c. 1, §16, is 
further amended to read:
2-A.  Seed money restrictions.  To be eligible for certification, a participating 
candidate may collect and spend only seed money contributions subsequent to becoming 
a candidate and prior to certification.  A participating candidate may not solicit, accept or 
collect seed money contributions after certification as a Maine Clean Election Act 
candidate.  A participating candidate may not solicit, accept or collect seed money 
contributions within a voting place or on public property within 250 feet of the entrance 
to the voting place.
A.  All goods and services received prior to certification must be paid for with seed 
money contributions, except for goods and services that are excluded from the 
definition of contribution in section 1012, subsection 2, paragraph B.  It is a violation 
of this chapter for a participating candidate to use fund revenues received after 
certification to pay for goods and services received prior to certification.
B.  Prior to certification, a participating candidate may obligate an amount greater 
than the seed money collected, but may only receive that portion of goods and 
services that has been paid for or will be paid for with seed money.  A participating 
candidate who has accepted contributions or made expenditures that do not comply 
with the seed money restrictions under this chapter may petition the commission to 
remain eligible for certification as a Maine Clean Election Act candidate in 
accordance with rules of the commission, if the failure to comply was unintentional 
and does not constitute a significant infraction of these restrictions.
C.  Upon requesting certification, a participating candidate shall file a report of all 
seed money contributions and expenditures.  If the candidate is certified, any unspent 
seed money will be deducted from the amount distributed to the candidate as 
provided in subsection 8-F.
Sec. 2.  21-A MRSA §1125, sub-§3, as amended by IB 2015, c. 1, §18, is further 
amended to read:
3.  Qualifying contributions.  Participating candidates must obtain qualifying 
contributions during the qualifying period as follows:
A.  For a gubernatorial candidate, at least 3,200 verified registered voters of this State 
must support the candidacy by providing a qualifying contribution to that candidate;
B.  For a candidate for the State Senate, at least 175 verified registered voters from 
the candidate's electoral division must support the candidacy by providing a 
qualifying contribution to that candidate; or
C.  For a candidate for the State House of Representatives, at least 60 verified 
registered voters from the candidate's electoral division must support the candidacy 
by providing a qualifying contribution to that candidate.
A participating candidate may not solicit, accept or collect qualifying contributions within 
a voting place or on public property within 250 feet of the entrance to the voting place.  A 
payment, gift or anything of value may not be given in exchange for a qualifying 
contribution.  A candidate may pay the fee for a money order that is a qualifying 
contribution in the amount of $5 as long as the donor making the qualifying contribution 
pays the $5 amount reflected on the money order.  Any money order fees paid by a 
participating candidate must be paid for with seed money and reported in accordance with 
commission rules.  A money order must be signed by the contributor to be a valid 
qualifying contribution.  The commission may establish by routine technical rule, adopted 
in accordance with Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A, a procedure for a qualifying 
contribution to be made by a credit or debit transaction and by electronic funds transfer 
over the Internet. Records containing information provided by individuals who have 
made qualifying contributions over the Internet are confidential, except for the name of 
the individual making the contribution, the date of the contribution, the individual's 
residential address and the name and office sought of the candidate in whose support the 
contribution was made.
It is a violation of this chapter for a participating candidate or an agent of the participating 
candidate to misrepresent the purpose of soliciting qualifying contributions and obtaining 
the contributor's signed acknowledgement.
SUMMARY
This bill prohibits the solicitation, acceptance or collection by a participating 
candidate under the Maine Clean Election Act of seed money contributions or qualifying 
contributions within 250 feet of the entrance to a voting place as well as within the voting 
place itself.