According to ballotpedia.org, “The Maine Clean Election Act (MCEA) was enacted in 1996 through a ballot measure titled Question 3. MCEA was designed to provide full public financing to candidates for the positions of Maine Governor, state representative and state senator. Under the Maine Clean Election Act, gubernatorial and state legislative candidates could choose to have their campaigns publicly funded starting in 2000. Candidates who choose to participate may accept very limited private contributions at the beginning of their campaigns (seed money contributions). To become eligible, candidates must demonstrate community support through collecting a minimum number of checks or money orders of $5 or more made payable to the Maine Clean Election Fund (qualifying contributions). After a candidate begins to receive MCEA funds from the State, he or she cannot accept private contributions, and almost all goods and services received must be paid for with MCEA funds.
“The initiative, upon voter approval this November 3, would strengthen the Maine Clean Election Act. The measure would increase funding from $2 million to $3 million for the Maine Clean Election Fund. The additional funding would come from eliminating $6 million in ‘low-performing, unaccountable’ corporate tax exemptions, deductions or credits ‘with little or no demonstrated economic development effect.’ Maine currently exempts about $1 billion per year through tax breaks for businesses.
“The initiative would increase penalties for violating campaign finance disclosure rules. Finances reported late would be penalized at 100 percent, rather than the current $5,000. Penalties and sanctions would be doubled for violations when they occur within 24 days before an election and tripled when violations occur within 14 days. Advertisements and communications would be required to disclose the campaign’s top three funders. The measure would also allow candidates to qualify for supplemental funds and require disclosures regarding gubernatorial inaugurations and transitions.
“Supporters of the measure were required to submit 61,123 valid signatures by January 22, 2015, in order to get the measure certified for the 2015 ballot. On January 21, Maine Citizens for Clean Elections turned in more than 85,000 signatures to the Maine Secretary of State’s office. Of those signatures, about 80,000 were deemed valid. Since Maine initiatives are indirect initiatives, the legislature had the chance to approve the measure. Since the legislature did not, the measure will go before voters in November.”
According to the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices at mainecampaignfinance.com, current law allows the public to view the campaign finance and lobbyist data in the State of Maine as “political candidates, political action committees, ballot question committees, and political party committees are required to file reports with the Commission disclosing their financial activity to influence elections. Lobbyists registered in Maine are required to file monthly reports of their lobbying activities in Maine.”
However, Mainers for Accountable Elections at accountableelections.org points out that “Question 1 will increase transparency and disclosure by requiring special interest groups to list their top three donors on all political ads so that voters know right away who is trying to influence their vote; increase accountability by toughening penalties and fines for candidates and special interest groups that break our campaign finance laws so that politicians are accountable to the people; encourage strict spending and contribution limits by strengthening Maine’s Clean Election system so that candidates are not reliant on special interests and big money donors.”
Mainers for Accountable Elections reported on October 1, that “U.S. Senators George Mitchell and Angus King today endorsed Question 1 on the Nov. 3 ballot, which will reform Maine’s campaign finance system and put control of elections where it belongs – in the hands of the people.”
A poll conducted by the Portland Press Herald on September 25 showed that the Maine electorate supports Question 1 by a majority of 96 to 4 percent. Supporters of the proposed measure feel that the passage of Question 1 would go a long way towards exposing the true identities of the people behind attack ads and those in-state and out-of-state groups that spend millions of dollars to sway elections in Maine.
The citizen-initiated measure, Question 1, will be decided by the voters on November 3.
— Val Philbrick is a regular contributor to Animal Sounds, Wednesdays at 1-1:30 pm., on WMPG radio at 90.9 &104.1 FM. She is a member of PETA and the Humane Society of the United States.
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