FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 7, 2025

Citizen initiative found valid with 74,888 signatures

AUGUSTA — The citizen initiative petition “An Act to Protect Maine Communities by Enacting the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act” has been found valid, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows confirmed today.

On Jan. 23, 2025, the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions received 5,581 petition forms containing 79,981 signatures of voters who support the initiative.

Of the signatures submitted, 74,888 were found to be valid and 5,093 signatures are invalid. The number of signatures required to determine the petition to be valid is 67,682 (which is 10% of the total votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election). Thus, the petition has been deemed valid by Secretary Bellows. Read the text of the decision (pdf).

The initiative will now go to the Legislature for consideration, per the provisions of the Maine Constitution. The Legislature can choose to enact the bill as written or send it forward to a statewide vote in November 2025.

###