For Immediate Release
Contact: Melissa Couture
(207) 626-8400
August 30, 2013

Secretary of State Announces Order of Bond Questions for November 5, 2013 Referendum Election Ballot

Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap and Maine Attorney General Janet Mills randomly select the order of the bond questions that were recently approved by the Legislature.

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AUGUSTA, MAINE – Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap and Attorney General Janet Mills held a public drawing today to determine the order in which the recently approved bond questions will appear on the November 5, 2013 Referendum Election ballot.  The five questions that will go before voters were drafted and approved by the 126th Maine Legislature.  Each question was placed in an unmarked, sealed envelope and randomly selected from a bowl by Attorney General Mills.  

Maine law requires the drawing process for ballot position and also requires the questions to be organized on the ballot by category as follows: people's veto questions first, then citizen initiatives, followed by bond questions, referendum questions proposed by the Legislature, and finally, resolutions to amend the state Constitution.

The November ballot will only contain bond questions as no other statewide measures have been proposed. 

The questions for the November 5, 2013 Referendum ballot will appear as follows:

• Question 1 (Bond Issue):? Do you favor a $14,000,000 bond issue to provide funds for the State's share of maintenance, repair, capital improvement, modernization and energy efficiency projects for Maine Army National Guard readiness centers and support facilities and the purchase of land for training and to draw down federal matching funds?
• Question 2 (Bond Issue):? Do you favor a $15,500,000 bond issue to enhance educational and employment opportunities for Maine citizens and students by updating and improving existing laboratory and classroom facilities of the University of Maine System statewide?
• Question 3 (Bond Issue):? Do you favor a $100,000,000 bond issue for reconstruction and rehabilitation of highways and bridges and for facilities or equipment related to ports, harbors, marine transportation, freight and passenger railroads, aviation and transit, to be used to match an estimated $154,000,000 in federal and other funds?
• Question 4 (Bond Issue):? Do you favor a $4,500,000 bond issue to provide funds for a public-private partnership for a building project for a new science facility at the Maine Maritime Academy to be matched by other funds?
• Question 5 (Bond Issue):? Do you favor a $15,500,000 bond issue to upgrade buildings, classrooms and laboratories on the 7 campuses of the Maine Community College System in order to increase capacity to serve more students through expanded programs in health care, precision machining, information technology, criminal justice and other key programs?