Pres. Jackson, Sen. Luchini bills to ban corporate campaign contributions, improve Maine elections signed into law
UGUSTA — On Thursday, June 17, Gov. Janet Mills signed into law a pair of bills sponsored by Sen. Louie Luchini, D-Ellsworth, and supported by Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, to help strengthen Maine’s voting laws. LD 1417, “An Act Regarding Campaign Finance Reform” will ban corporate campaign contributions in state races. LD 1363, “An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Elections,” will help ensure more Mainers have secure and easy access to voting.
“Getting money out of our politics and our government is essential to ensuring that the Maine Legislature remains a governing body of citizens and a governing body that works for its citizens. That starts with the corporate contribution ban. It makes clear that our democracy is not for sale,” said President Jackson. “By limiting the amount of money flowing into our campaigns, working Maine people can have confidence in their government and elected officials. This move is long overdue.”
LD 1417 bans corporations from contributing to individual legislative candidates or legislator-controlled political action committees, otherwise known as leadership PACs. Twenty-two states have already adopted provisions in LD 1417 into state law according to the National Conference of State Legislators, including Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Federal election laws already prohibit corporate contributions to candidates for federal office.
“Maine already has a strong track record of voter participation and civic engagement. These new laws will further improve that tradition and give voters greater confidence that our elections are secure and fair. They’ll also further ensure that local politics aren’t influenced by big corporate spending,” said Sen. Luchini.
LD 1363 would make permanent many of the innovative measures the state put in place to make voting accessible and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those changes include maintaining secure drop-off boxes for absentee ballots, continuing the online absentee ballot tracker, and offering guidance to help clerks “cure” ballots to make sure citizens’ votes are accurately registered.
“The pandemic forced innovative changes regarding our election laws to ensure that Maine voters could cast their votes safely, and the results in terms of voter convenience and accessibility were astounding,” said Secretary of State Shenna Bellows. “Mainers used new procedures like absentee ballot dropboxes and online absentee ballot tracking to turn out in huge numbers. We’re thrilled to make these changes permanent to benefit the people of Maine into the future, so Maine can continue being a leader in conducting free and fair elections.”
Both measures will take effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns sine die.
