At the Nov. 5 polls

Fri, 09/13/2019 - 08:50 pm

AUGUSTA — The Referendum Election will take place on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, with two statewide issues on the ballot.

The 2019 Maine Citizens' Guide to the Referendum Election is now available https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/pdf/citizensguide19.pdf on the Maine Department of the Secretary of States Upcoming Elections webpage https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/index.html, allowing voters to see the legislation behind this years ballot questions, as well as analysis of the intent and content of each question.

The guide, prepared by the Department of the Secretary of State in collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General, Office of the State Treasurer and Office of Fiscal and Program Review, is an unbiased and non-partisan review of the issues that voters will consider at the polls this November.

The Citizens Guide provides detailed information about each question on the November ballot. The two ballot questions are:

Question 1: Do you favor a $105,000,000 bond issue to build or improve roads, bridges, railroads, airports, transit and ports and make other transportation investments, to be used to match an estimated $137,000,000 in federal and other funds?

Transportation Bond: mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/bills_129th/chapters/PUBLIC532.asp

This proposal would authorize the State to issue general obligation bonds, in an amount not to exceed $105 million, to raise funds for transportation projects.

The 10-year bond would fund several projects, including:

Upgrades to bridges, secondary roads, state highways and other transportation infrastructure statewide under the helm of the Maine Department of Transportation ($100 million);

A matching grant program for municipal culvert upgrades via the Maine Department of Environmental Protection ($4 million); and,

The renovation of the wharf and bulkhead at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland ($1 million).

$15,000,000) would be expended on facilities and equipment, including property acquisition, related to freight and passenger railroads, transit (public transportation), ports, marine transportation, aviation, and bicycle and pedestrian improvements. The intent is to fund projects that preserve public safety or otherwise demonstrate high transportation value.

Question 2: 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?

Constitutional Resolution: https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/pdf/ld1437.pdf

This proposal would amend Maines Constitution to allow voters who have physical disabilities that prevent them from signing their own names to use an alternative method of signing a citizens initiative or peoples veto petition.

Maine election law already allows voters with disabilities to use an alternative signature on a voter registration application, a change of party enrollment form, candidate nomination petitions, and Maine Clean Election Act forms by using a signature stamp or by authorizing another Maine-registered voter to sign on the voters behalf in the voters presence and at the direction of the voter.

Adoption of the proposed Constitutional amendment would expand the scope of this election statute so that voters with certain physical disabilities would also be able to sign citizens initiative petitions and peoples veto petitions.

The Maine Constitution (in Article IV, part 3, section 20) currently provides that a “written petition” for a citizens’ initiative or a people’s veto referendum must contain “original signatures of the petitioners.” This definition prevents voters who are physically unable to write an original signature from signing these types of petitions.

Maine election law (Title 21-A, section 153-A of the Maine Revised Statutes) already allows a voter who is unable to sign his or her own name to sign a voter registration application, a change of party enrollment form, candidate nomination petitions, and Maine Clean Election Act forms by using a signature stamp or by authorizing another Maine-registered voter to sign on the voter’s behalf ‒ in thevoter’s presence and at the direction of the voter.

Adoption of the proposed constitutional amendment would authorize the Legislature to expand the scope of this election statute or to adopt a different alternative method that would allow voters with certain physical disabilities to sign citizens’ initiative petitions and people’s veto petitions.

A “Yes” vote approves adoption of the constitutional amendment. A “No” vote opposes adoption of the constitutional amendment.

More information is available on the Maine Department of the Secretary of State Upcoming Elections webpage : maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/index.html or by calling 207-626-8400.