FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2, 2011
Contact: Caitlin E. Chamberlain
(207) 441-0501

Secretary of State Charles E. Summers, Jr. Announces Ballot Order of Citizen Initiative Questions

AUGUSTA, Maine – Secretary of State Charlie Summers held a public drawing today to determine the order of the citizen initiative questions that will appear on the November 8, 2011 Referendum Election ballot.  The drawing was held in the Secretary of State's office.

Maine law requires the drawing process for ballot position and also requires the questions to be organized on the ballot by category as follows:  “carry-over measures from a previous election; people's veto questions; initiated measures; bond issues; constitutional amendments; and other legislatively proposed referenda.”

There will be two citizen initiative questions and one Constitutional resolution on the November 8, 2011 ballot.  There will not be any carry-over measures, bond questions, or legislative referenda this election.  Today's drawing determined the order two citizen initiative questions.  They will be either questions one and two or two and three on the ballot, depending on the outcome of the validation process for the people’s veto effort.

Division of Elections is in the process of validating the signatures submitted for the people’s veto campaign to reject the recently enacted law that would move registration for new voters back to the Thursday prior to Election Day. The deadline for validation is 5:00 PM on Thursday, September 8, 2011.  At that time it will be determined if the people’s veto question will be included on the ballot. 

Currently, the questions that will appear on the November 8, 2011 Referendum Election ballot are as follows:

Citizen Initiative 1: Do you want to allow a slot machine facility at a harness racing track in Biddeford or another community within 25 miles of Scarborough Downs, subject to local approval, and at a harness racing track in Washington County, with part of the profits from these facilities going to support specific state and local programs?

Citizen Initiative 2: Do you want to allow a casino with table games and slot machines in Lewiston, with part of the profits going to support specific state and local programs?

Constitutional Resolution 1: Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to change the years of redistricting the Maine Legislature, congressional districts and county commissioner districts after 2013 from 2023 and every 10th year thereafter to 2021 and every 10th year thereafter?