AUGUSTA (AP) – Mainers will likely retain their right to gather signatures for referendum drives at polling places.

A legislative committee voted in favor of a bill that would tighten rules on collecting signatures at polling places. But language banning signature gatherers from polling places was removed from the final version unanimously approved Monday.

The bill faces additional votes in the House and Senate.

The change of heart by the Legislature’s Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee came after referendum organizers complained about the proposal to ban signature gatherers from within 25 feet of the entrance to a polling place.

The original bill prompted a a deluge of criticism from a variety of groups.

“I think they realized preventing people from the polling places was the wrong thing to do,” said Carol Palesky, an activist behind last year’s controversial tax-cap referendum.

Under the revised bill, referendum organizers would have to notify local election officials of their plans to collect signatures 24 hours before a polling place opens. And further rules would exist if a polling place ran out of room for groups gathering signatures.

Some committee members viewed the new rules as a warning to activists about how they gather signatures. If the petitions get in the way of an election, then the rules may change in the future, they said.

“I hope the petition folks behave in the voting places so we don’t have to pass (further) legislation,” said Rep. Charles Fisher, D-Brewer.

Palesky, however, said lawmakers are trying to fix a problem that doesn’t exist. And other referendum organizers have said that moving the signature collections outside of the polling places would hurt the process.

Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com

AP-ES-03-15-05 0831EST

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