Supporters say a photo ID mandate would boost public confidence in Maine elections, but opponents, including Gov. Mills, say it would do far more harm than good.
clean elections
Posted inElection 2022, Local & State, Politics
Group submits petitions for initiative to ban foreign spending on state referendums
Protect Maine Elections wants to put the referendum spending question on the November 2023 ballot.
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Posted inElections, Local & State, News, Politics
Secretary of State Bellows touts Maine electoral practices to congressional panel
The former Democratic state senator, testifying alongside Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, says voting should be ‘equal and safe and secure all across the country.’
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Would-be Clean Elections candidates find it harder to qualify during pandemic
Social-distancing requirements and other restrictions have made collecting $5 qualifying contributions needed to obtain public financing more difficult.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Maine lawmakers take up bill to ban ‘deepfake’ political ads
Supporters say the measure would protect election integrity and prevent deception of voters, but some lawmakers raised free speech concerns.
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine to release more than $1 million in clean elections funding
PORTLAND — An attorney says Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s administration will release more than $1 million in public campaign funding that the governor held up by refusing to sign routine financial orders. Maine Citizens for Clean Elections attorney John Brautigam said the administration agreed to do so Monday. A superior court judge ruled on […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Local & State
State Ethics Commission to meet on Clean Election funding shortfall
AUGUSTA — The state’s Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices is scheduled to meet in Augusta on Wednesday to discuss candidates who qualified for Clean Election funding but were denied access to their funds after a typo in the biennial budget eliminated $3 million in funding. Two Republican candidates for the state’s House of […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
With 20 candidates for governor expected, will Maine face a Clean Elections overload?
Each Clean Elections candidate could get $1 million; there’s only $4.5 million in the fund. Lawmakers and state officials are concerned that the burgeoning field in the 2018 gubernatorial race could drain the state’s fund for publicly financed candidates. Exactly how much the fund would be depleted depends on several factors, including how many of […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Do what is right for Maine people — fully fund Clean Elections
We belong to two different political parties. We were once political rivals who faced each other in a race for the Maine House of Representatives. One of us won and went on to serve seven terms in the Legislature; the other continued to serve in local office and on nonprofit boards. It is safe to […]
Posted inLocal & State
Maine lawmakers consider ballot initiatives, clean elections
AUGUSTA (AP) — Lawmakers are considering bills to change the way that citizen initiatives get on the ballot. Republicans like Gov. Paul LePage argue Maine’s constitution and state law allow millions of out-of-state dollars to fund costly campaigns that mislead voters. More than a dozen bills that would make it harder for citizen initiatives to […]