What is the bill

This bill would make it more difficult to place a citizen initiative on the ballot by amending the Constitution of Maine to require that petition signatures be gathered equally from both of Maine’s two congressional districts.

Why it matters

The current threshold to put an issue on the ballot in Maine is already one of the highest hurdles in the country. Further restricting that process only puts the initiative process further out of reach for grassroots groups. Every time referendums are made more difficult, the process gets more expensive and that puts moneyed interests at a relative advantage. These bills are attacks on our democracy and the ability for citizens and organizations to take action when the legislature cannot or will not.

What happened

The bill died after failing to garner the 2/3rds of votes necessary for a constitutional amendment in the House.