Maine voters on Nov. 3 will weigh in on three state referendum questions: a campaign finance state statute, an affordable housing bond and a transportation bond. Here’s a closer look at each:
Question 1: Campaign Finance
A citizen’s initiative, Question 1 will determine the fate of LD 806, “An Act to Strengthen the Maine Clean Election Act, Improve Disclosure, and Make Other Changes to the Campaign Finance Laws.”
The 14-page act would increase funding to the Maine Clean Elections Fund from $2 million to $3 million and direct the Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Taxation to eliminate $6 million in corporate tax breaks every two years to fund the clean elections program.
It would stiffen penalties for campaign finance disclosure violations, ramping up fines on late finance reports from $5,000 to “100 percent of the amount of the expenditure in violation.” The act would require all TV, print, and radio ads to disclose not only the entity paying for the ad, but also the top three funders of the ad.
The act would also increase the maximum amount of public funding available to Maine House candidates from $5,000 to $15,000 and Senate candidates from $19,000 to $60,000 – restoring Clean Election funding levels to those that existed from 2000 to 2010 before a 2011 Supreme Court Ruling that invalidated the state’s ability to explicitly provide matching funds with private candidates, according to Andrew Bossie, the head of Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, the group that has led the campaign for the legislation.
“The Arizona Free Enterprise Ruling invalidated part of our law that kept Clean Election candidates competitive with wealthy privately financed candidates,” Bossie said. “What we’re looking to do here is restore Clean Elections back to the strength that it had back before matching funds were invalidated.”
The law would also provide up to $3 million in financing for Clean Election candidates running for governor, up from the $1.8 million maximum of financing available between 2000 and 2010. According to Bossie, the amount of gubernatorial financing increased because contribution limits for the governor’s race have tripled to $1,500 per donation since 2010.
In recent weeks, opposition has emerged from a political action committee called Mainers Against Welfare for Politicians, which has been led by state Rep. Joel Stetkis, R-Canaan.
“If this thing was to pass, it’s going to provide millions and millions of dollars to politicians to use in their campaigns for yard signs, junk mail and robo calls,” Stetkis said.
But in Bossie’s view, the opponents of Question 1 are afraid of competition and losing tax breaks.
“Our opposition is comprised of politicians who don’t want competition in their own races and business groups that want to keep their wasteful tax giveaways,” Bossie said.
“In 1996, the contribution limit was $500 to gubernatorial candidate. Today it’s $1,500.”
In Stetkis’ view, the current $375 cap on individual contributions to House and Senate races is enough to prevent the corruption of the election process.
“Their argument is that somehow $375 is going to buy somebody’s soul,” he said.
But $375 is a lot of money for many Mainers, Bossie said.
“How many voters can afford to make a $375 contribution to have their contribution reach out to them?” he said. “How many families can afford a $375 contribution so their lawmaker will pay attention to them?”
According to a fiscal impact statement by the Office of Fiscal and Program Review, the legislation could increase the number of civil suits, and increase revenue into the General Fund by minor amounts due to the imposition of additional fines.
Question 2: Affordable Housing
A $15 million bond issue, Question 2 would finance the construction of energy-efficient affordable homes for low-income households headed by a person above the age of 55. It would also fund the conversion and weatherization of existing homes into affordable housing for households led by low-income Mainers above the age of 55.
If approved, the Maine Housing Authority will spend $14.5 million on the construction of a projected 200 new affordable housing units and the conversion and weatherization of approximately 100 units. Preference would be given to locations that have access to health care, and at least four of the projects must be located in counties having populations under 100,000 – which would include Aroostook, Oxford, Hancock, Somerset, Knox, Waldo, Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Washington, Franklin, and Piscataquis counties.
The housing authority would spend an additional $500,000 in matching funds for home repair and weatherization programs.
The bond would cost $19,125,000 in total, with $4,125,000 in projected interest over a 10-year period.
There has been little public opposition to the question. The Maine AARP has endorsed the question. According to Amy Gallant, Maine AARP’s associate state director for advocacy and outreach, the number of Mainers seeking affordable housing is projected to grow from 9,000 to 15,000 in the next seven years, and Question 2 will help begin to address the growing demand.
“The Senior Affordable Housing Bond is the first step in addressing the urgent need of housing for older Mainers,” Gallant said. “This bond will build new units designed to be safe, accessible, and affordable. It will enable more older Mainers to stay in their own homes and communities.”
Question 3: Transportation
An $85 million bond issue, Question 3 would provide matching funds to finance a wide variety of transportation projects across the state. In total, the bond would match a projected $121.5 million local, state and federal funds.
The question would direct $68 million toward the construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation of highways and bridges. It would finance another $17 million in spending on facilities and equipment related to marine transportation, aviation, ports, harbors, aviation, railroads, and bicycle and pedestrian trails.
With a projected $23,375,000 in interest, the bond will cost a total of $108,375,000 over a 10-year period.
The bond was sponsored in the Legislature by five Democrats and five Republicans and is supported by Gov. Paul LePage and Maine Department of Transportation Commissioner David Bernhardt.
Voters have approved seven consecutive transportation bonds worth a total of $477 million since 2000.
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