2015 Maine Question 1

The Maine Clean Elections Act was passed as a citizen-initiated referendum titled Question 3 in 1996, making Maine the first state to adopt a public campaign financing law.{{cite web|url=http://www.pressherald.com/2013/01/16/budget-bill-worries-maine-clean-election-advocates/|title=Proposed cuts worry Maine Clean Election advocates|publisher=Portland Press Herald|date=January 16, 2013 |access-date=September 21, 2015}} It established a voluntary public campaign financing program for Maine gubernatorial and legislative elections, allowing candidates who demonstrated a certain level of community support through a limited number of 'seed money' contributions to qualify for public financing of their campaign. Candidates who accepted such financing could not subsequently accept any private contributions to their campaign.{{cite web|url=http://www.maine.gov/ethics/mcea/|title=The Maine Clean Election Act|publisher=Maine Ethics Commission|access-date=September 21, 2015|archive-date=June 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621110258/https://www.maine.gov/ethics/mcea/|url-status=dead}}

Initially, the Act also provided for publicly financed candidates to receive additional matching funds should privately financed candidates in their race outspend them. In 2011, the United States Supreme Court struck down a similar provision in Arizona as unconstitutional,{{cite web|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2011/06/27/politics/supreme-court-ruling-to-affect-maine-clean-elections/|title=Supreme Court ruling to affect Maine Clean Elections|publisher=Bangor Daily News|date=June 27, 2011 |access-date=September 21, 2015}} which led to a US District Court judge doing the same with Maine's provision later that year.{{cite web|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2011/11/29/politics/matching-funds-portion-of-clean-election-act-in-jeopardy/?ref=inline|title=Matching funds portion of Clean Election Act in jeopardy|publisher=Bangor Daily News|date=November 29, 2011 |access-date=September 21, 2015}} Due to those court rulings, the Maine Legislature removed the matching funds provision from the Act.{{cite web|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2012/03/02/politics/maine-senate-oks-clean-election-act-changes/?ref=relatedBox|title=Maine Senate OKs Clean Election Act changes|publisher=Bangor Daily News|date=March 2, 2012 |access-date=September 21, 2015}}

The group Mainers for Accountable Elections turned in approximately 86,000 signatures to Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap on January 21, 2015.{{cite web|url=http://wabi.tv/2015/01/21/maine-group-earns-85000-signatures-clean-elections-initiative/|title=Maine Group Earns 85,000 Signatures For Clean Elections Initiative|publisher=WABI-TV|date=January 21, 2015|access-date=September 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150730025025/http://wabi.tv/2015/01/21/maine-group-earns-85000-signatures-clean-elections-initiative/|archive-date=July 30, 2015|url-status=dead}} Dunlap verified about 80,000 of them by February 18, 2015. That was about 16,000 more than required, which sent the question to the Legislature for consideration, though they did not do so and the question was sent to the ballot.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pressherald.com/2015/02/18/maine-secretary-of-state-oks-clean-election-signatures/|title=Maine secretary of state OKs clean election signatures|date=18 February 2015}}

Republican State Senator Eric Brakey introduced a competing measure in the Legislature to ask voters to repeal the Act and redirect the intended funds to education costs.{{cite web|url=http://news.mpbn.net/post/bill-repeal-maines-clean-elections-law-comes-under-fire|title=Bill to Repeal Maine's Clean Elections Law Comes Under Fire |publisher=MPBN|date=April 24, 2015 |access-date=September 21, 2015}} His proposal was rejected in committee on May 6, 2015 by a 9-1 vote.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pressherald.com/2015/05/06/maine-panel-rejects-attempt-to-repeal-clean-election-law/|title = Maine panel rejects attempt to repeal Clean Election law|date = 6 May 2015}}

The proposed changes to the Act include increasing the amount of money distributed to candidates, more disclosure requirements such as listing the top three donors that pay for political advertisements in the ad itself, and increased fines for violators.{{cite web|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2015/07/28/politics/elections/campaign-for-maine-finance-reform-ballot-question-kicks-off/?ref=relatedBox|title=Campaign for Maine finance reform ballot question kicks off |publisher=Bangor Daily News|date=July 28, 2015 |access-date=September 21, 2015}}

Mainers for Accountable Elections launched its campaign on July 28, 2015, at a rally where Republican State Sen. Roger Katz spoke in support of the referendum.{{cite web|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2015/07/28/politics/group-rallies-around-ballot-question-to-reform-maine-campaign-laws/|title=Group rallies around ballot question to reform Maine campaign laws|publisher=Bangor Daily News|date=July 28, 2015 |access-date=September 21, 2015}}

Until September 2015, there was no organized opposition to the referendum.{{Cite web|url=http://stateandcapitol.bangordailynews.com/2015/09/17/will-question-1-cruise-to-election-day-without-opposition/|title = Will Question 1 cruise to Election Day without opposition?|date = 17 September 2015}} On September 23, it was reported a Facebook page was created called "No on Question 1". It was created in part by State Rep. Joel Stetkis (R-Canaan) who appeared on WVOM radio to call the proposal "nothing but a scam" and "an assault on the Maine people who want a citizen legislator to represent them."{{cite web|url=http://stateandcapitol.bangordailynews.com/2015/09/23/question-1-opponent-maine-election-reform-bid-nothing-but-a-scam/|title=Question 1 opponent: Maine election reform bid 'nothing but a scam'|publisher=Bangor Daily News |date=September 23, 2015 |access-date=September 23, 2015}}

Opponents of the Act as a whole include Governor of Maine Paul LePage who has attempted to remove funding for the Act from the state budget, calling it "welfare for politicians", without success{{cite web|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2013/02/27/politics/lepage-budget-would-gut-clean-election-fund-for-2014-campaign/|title=LePage budget would gut clean election fund for 2014 campaign|publisher=Bangor Daily News |date=February 27, 2013 |access-date=May 7, 2013}} as well as the aforementioned Sen. Brakey's effort to seek repeal of the law. The conservative Maine Heritage Policy Center supported court rulings against the Act. LePage has called Question 1 specifically a "scam"{{cite web|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2015/10/14/politics/lepage-calls-maine-election-reform-effort-a-scam/|title=LePage calls Maine election reform effort 'a scam'|publisher=Bangor Daily News |date=October 15, 2015 |access-date=October 15, 2015}} and that public campaign financing was like "giving your wife your checkbook".{{cite web|url=http://mainebeacon.com/gov-lepage-says-public-campaign-financing-like-giving-your-wife-your-checkbook/|title=Gov. LePage says public campaign financing like "giving your wife your checkbook"|publisher=Maine Beacon |date=October 22, 2015 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}

On October 21, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce announced its opposition to the Question, due to disagreeing with its funding mechanism of eliminating corporate tax breaks. Chamber President Dana Connors stated that Maine's business incentive programs are modest and it would be difficult and harm the state's business climate to eliminate any of them. The opposition was notable it that it was not based on ideological opposition to public financing of campaigns as with other opponents.{{cite web|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2015/10/21/politics/maine-state-chamber-of-commerce-opposes-question-1/|title=Maine State Chamber of Commerce opposes Question 1|publisher=Bangor Daily News |date=October 21, 2015 |access-date=October 21, 2015}}

• Shenna Bellows, Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2014, former head of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine{{cite web|url=http://www.sunjournal.com/news/columns-analysis/2015/10/28/maine-has-another-chance-clean-elections/1808465|title=Maine has another chance for clean elections|publisher=Lewiston Sun Journal|date=October 29, 2015 |access-date=October 29, 2015}}
• Chris Johnson, Democratic State Senatorhttp://www.accountableelections.org/senator-chris-johnson-restoring-government-by-of-and-for-the-people/{{Dead link|date=September 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• Roger Katz, Republican State Senator
• Angus King, U.S. Senator and former Governor of Maine{{cite web|url=http://stateandcapitol.bangordailynews.com/2015/10/01/george-mitchell-angus-king-step-into-question-1-debate-with-endorsement/|title=George Mitchell, Angus King step into Question 1 debate with endorsement|publisher=Bangor Daily News|date=October 1, 2013 |access-date=October 2, 2015}}
• George Mitchell, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader
• George Smith, former executive director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, TV host{{cite web|url=https://www.centralmaine.com/2015/10/14/keeping-maine-clean-requires-a-yes-vote-in-november/|title=Keeping Maine clean requires a yes vote in November|publisher=Kennebec Journal|date=October 14, 2015 |access-date=October 15, 2015}}
• Groups affiliated with Mainers for Accountable Elections
• American Civil Liberties Union of Mainehttp://www.accountableelections.org/aclu-endorsement/{{Dead link|date=September 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• Maine Center for Economic Policy{{Cite web |url=http://www.accountableelections.org/mecep-endorses-campaign-finance-referendum-2/ |title = MECEP Endorses Campaign Finance Referendum {{!}} Mainers for Accountable Elections |access-date=2015-09-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714230048/http://www.accountableelections.org/mecep-endorses-campaign-finance-referendum-2/ |archive-date=2015-07-14 |url-status=dead }}
• Sierra Club Maine{{Cite web |url=http://www.accountableelections.org/sierra-club-maine-endorses-election-reform-referendum/ |title = Sierra Club Maine Endorses Election Reform Referendum {{!}} Mainers for Accountable Elections |access-date=2015-09-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714230103/http://www.accountableelections.org/sierra-club-maine-endorses-election-reform-referendum/ |archive-date=2015-07-14 |url-status=dead }}
• Environment Mainehttp://www.accountableelections.org/environment-maine-endorses-election-reform-referendum/{{Dead link|date=September 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• Bangor Daily News{{cite web|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2015/10/21/opinion/editorials/question-1-is-maines-chance-to-keep-politics-the-domain-of-everyday-people/|title=Question 1 is Maine's chance to keep politics the domain of everyday people|publisher=Bangor Daily News|date=October 21, 2013 |access-date=October 21, 2015}}
• MaineToday Media newspapers; Portland Press Herald, Kennebec Journal, Morning Sentinel
• Maine Small Business Coalition{{cite web|url=http://www.pressherald.com/2015/10/29/our-endorsement-vote-yes-on-question-1-for-clean-election-reform/|title=Our Endorsement: Vote 'yes' on Question 1 for Clean Election reform|publisher=Portland Press Herald|date=October 29, 2015 |access-date=October 29, 2015}}

• John Baldacci, former Governor of Maine, former U.S. Representative{{cite web|url=http://stateandcapitol.bangordailynews.com/2015/10/23/ex-maine-gov-john-baldacci-opposes-question-1/|title=Ex-Maine Gov. John Baldacci opposes Question 1|publisher=Bangor Daily News|date=October 23, 2013 |access-date=October 23, 2015}}
• Kenneth Fredette, Minority Leader of the Maine House of Representatives (R-Newport){{cite web|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2015/10/29/opinion/contributors/more-clean-election-money-is-wrong-for-maine/|title=More Clean Election money is wrong for Maine|publisher=Bangor Daily News|date=October 29, 2013 |access-date=October 29, 2015}}
• Paul LePage, Governor of Maine
• Larry Lockman, State Representative (R-Amherst)
• Joel Stetkis, State Representative (R-Canaan)
• Michael Thibodeau, President of the Maine Senate
• Maine State Chamber of Commerce

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.accountableelections.org/ Mainers for Accountable Elections], supporters of the referendum
• [https://www.facebook.com/NO-on-Question-1-1663258350555333/timeline/ NO on Question 1] Facebook page, opponents of the referendum

{{Maine elections}}

Category:Campaign finance reform in the United States

Category:2015 Maine ballot measures