The November 7 referendum election includes four measures that reached the ballot through citizens’ initiatives and collection of enough verified signatures: the number equaling 10 percent of the number of votes cast in the last gubernatorial election.
Once sufficient signatures are verified to clear the threshold, the proposed law goes to the Legislature, which can pass it to become law. If the Legislature rejects the measure (or fails to act), it goes onto the ballot to voters.
For the complete Maine Citizen’s Guide to the Referendum Election, prepared by the Secretary of State’s Office, with full text of each proposed law, fiscal notes, Attorney General opinions and more, click here. For a briefer overview, read on.
Question 1 (Voter approval for borrowing)
Text on the ballot: Do you want to bar some quasi-governmental entities and all consumer-owned electric utilities from taking on more than $1 billion in debt unless they get statewide voter approval?
Background from the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Maine: “Do you want some state and city offices, as well as some electricity providers, to have to get voter approval before they take on more than a billion dollars in debt?”
“A YES vote means that you want voters to have to approve these new debts through a statewide vote. A NO vote means that you don’t want to change the existing process. While this would have wider effects, it’s important to note that it would apply to the Pine Tree Power Company, which is being voted on in Question Three.” — from The League of Women Voters of Maine Guide to the November ballot questions
Context from The Bangor Daily News: “A yes vote on Question 1 would subject several types of public agencies to voter approval if they plan to borrow more than $1 billion. It is aimed at subjecting the borrowing required to complete the utility takeover under Question 3 to yet another vote. A no vote would allow that question to go through without another layer of approval.”
“This is a CMP-backed effort that attempts to jam up the borrowing required under Question 3. While both sides of that campaign disagree on the overall purchase price, they agree that it will be in the billions. That money would be borrowed against future revenue, so it would not raise taxes but would represent a major financial commitment.”
“This question would apply to other entities, including Maine’s university and community colleges and local consumer-owned utilities. However, they rarely ever seek to borrow this much, so the Legislature’s fiscal office has said Mainers should expect only rare votes if this passes.” — from The Bangor Daily News Guide to Question 3 and Question 1
The proposed law and the Legislature’s action: LD 1772: An Act to Require Voter Approval of Certain Borrowing by Government-controlled Entities and Utilities and to Provide Voters More Information Regarding That Borrowing.
Question 2 (Foreign electioneering)
Text on the ballot: Do you want to ban foreign governments and entities that they own, control, or influence from making campaign contributions or financing communications for or against candidates or ballot questions?
Background and context from The Bangor Daily News: “A yes vote would ban foreign governments and companies that are at least 5 percent owned by foreign governments from influencing candidate or referendum elections in Maine and urge Maine’s congressional delegation to support an anti-corruption amendment to the U.S. Constitution. A no vote would reject both of those items.”
“This question comes out of the 2021 referendum against the CMP hydropower corridor, which represented a fight between CMP and its competitors in the regional energy market. Fighting on CMP’s side was Hydro-Quebec, the provincial-owned company supplying power to the corridor.”
“Under Question 2, both Hydro-Quebec and Versant, the latter of which is owned by a company whose sole shareholder is the Canadian city of Calgary, Alberta, would be silenced in campaigns. CMP has said it would not be affected, but that is an open question since its Spanish parent is partially owned by Qatar and Norway.” — from The Bangor Daily News guide to Question 2
The proposed law and the Legislature’s action: LD 1610: An Act to Prohibit Campaign Spending by Foreign Governments and Promote an Anticorruption Amendment to the United States Constitution
Question 3 (Pine Tree Power)
Text on the ballot: Do you want to create a new power company governed by an elected board to acquire and operate existing for-profit electricity transmission and distribution facilities in Maine?
Background from the League of Women Voters: “Do you want to create a new nonprofit power company, run by an elected group of Maine people/citizens, to buy and operate equipment already supplying power to homes and businesses in Maine?”
“A YES vote means that you support creating a new nonprofit power company in Maine that would use equipment already supplying power to Maine homes and businesses and that would be run by an elected group of Mainers. A NO vote means that you don’t want to create the nonprofit power company Pine Tree Power Company and nothing will change.” — from The League of Women Voters of Maine Guide to the November ballot questions
Context from The Bangor Daily News: “A yes vote would replace Central Maine Power Co. and Versant Power with the new Pine Tree Power Co., governed by an elected board first tasked with buying out the utilities and hiring an operator to manage them. A no vote retains the status quo in which CMP and Versant are responsible for electric transmission and distribution in most of Maine.”
“A 2020 study conducted for the state found that a similar takeover would raise electric rates in the short term and lower them over time, largely because the new utility could borrow money at lower rates than the incumbent utilities.”
“Supporters amplify that argument by saying the utility could put more into operations without a profit motive. They note that CMP and Versant have fared poorly in customer approval and that an elected utility board would be more accountable to Mainers, although Public Advocate William Harwood has said customer service, reliability and climate benefits are all unknowns.”
“The utilities have run an expensive but simple campaign focusing on the upfront cost of buying out the utilities and the uncertainty of putting elected officials in control of the system. CMP and Versant say it would cost $13.5 billion to buy them out, but their book values are far lower. The ultimate total will likely be decided by the courts over a period of five to 10 years.” — from The Bangor Daily News Guide to Question 3 and Question 1
The proposed law and the Legislature’s action: LD 1611: An Act to Create the Pine Tree Power Company, a Nonprofit, Customer-owned Utility.
Question 4 (Right to repair)
Text on the ballot: Do you want to require vehicle manufacturers to standardize on-board diagnostic systems and provide remote access to those systems and mechanical data to owners and independent repair facilities?
Background and context from The Bangor Daily News: “Do you want to require car makers to provide information about a car’s mechanical operations and repairs to car owners and mechanics?”
“A YES vote means that you support the right of owners of motor vehicles and independent auto repair shops, not just the manufacturer’s dealer, to be able to access computer diagnostic information from a vehicle in order to repair it. A NO vote means that you don’t want vehicle owners and auto repair shops to be able to access this information.”
“It is being supported by generic parts manufacturers and independent auto shops including VIP Tires & Service, who say it will save drivers money and particularly benefit those in rural areas who live far from dealerships. The auto industry opposes it, saying the necessary information is already made available to repair shops that they say want more customer data.” — from the Bangor Daily News guide to Question 4
The proposed law and the Legislature’s action: LD 1677: An Act Regarding Automotive Right to Repair.
— Read an overview of Questions 5-8 at this link.
— Find New Gloucester’s sample ballot for the November 7 election at this link.
— Find ballot information in these languages: Arabic, French, Kinyarwanda, Portuguese, and Spanish, courtesy of the League of Women Voters of Maine.
NGX editors’ note on sources. The Maine Citizen’s Guide to the Referendum Election from the Secretary of State’s Office is a comprehensive guide to the November 7 referendum questions. It is lengthy and detailed. Finding shorter yet accurate and informative overviews, with a minimum of spin, turns out to be a challenge, but that’s what we were aiming for here.
