Mainers Narrowly Reject Redesigned State Flag, Overwhelmingly Approve Limits on Super PAC Contributions

On Tuesday, Mainers made their voices heard not only on a number of key state, federal, and local elections, but also on five ballot questions, including one citizens initiative, three bonds with a total combined initial cost of $65 million, and one proposal from the Legislature.

Early Wednesday morning, it was determined that voters had overwhelmingly approved a citizens initiative limiting Super PAC contributions, closely mirroring what the late-fall polling had predicted.

By Wednesday afternoon, it became clear that Mainers had rejected the Legislature’s attempt to redesign the state flag based on the version used for eight years between 1901 and 1909, instead opting to keep the current iteration of the flag which features the Maine State Seal.

Voters were largely split with respect to the three bond questions on the ballot, meaning it was not possible to begin determining whether or not they had been approved until late in the day Wednesday, and one of the three bonds still remains undecided as of Friday afternoon.

Question 1 — the statewide citizens initiative — asked voters if they wanted to limit contributions to independent expenditure-only PACs — commonly referred to as Super PACS — to $5,000.

While traditional PACs can make contributions to political candidates in addition to making independent expenditures — such as running phone banks and producing advertisements — they are already limited to receiving no more than $5,000 a year from any single donor.

Super PACs, however, cannot donate directly to candidates but are currently eligible to receive unlimited contributions from their donors.

The now-approved law presents a challenge to the current structure of PAC limitations, as well as to existing legal precedent.

Those behind the initiative have indicated that they anticipate this law will spark legal challenges that will ultimately bring the issue before the Supreme Court.

Voters approved this measure by a margin of 74 percent, largely reflecting September poll numbers which indicated 69 percent support for the measure.

Stemming from a law approved by legislators in April, Question 2 asked voters if they wanted to approve a $25 million bond to provide funding to the Maine Technology Institute for innovation-related efforts.

This money will be used for “research and development and commercialization as prioritized by the Maine Innovation Economy Advisory Board’s most recent innovation economy action plan and the Office of Innovation’s most recent science and technology action plan.”

These funds must be awarded by the Maine Technology Institute through a competitive process to Maine-based public and private institutions “to leverage matching private and federal funds on at least a one-to-one basis.”

Similar polling conducted earlier this fall — which indicated that Mainers were roughly divided on this question — 54.2 percent of voters statewide went on to approve this measure at the ballot box.

The bond in Question 3 was designed to give the Maine Historic Preservation Commission $10 million to spend on restoring historic buildings owned by governmental and nonprofit organizations.

Award of these funds by the Maine Historic Preservation Commission will, if approved, need to be contingent on a 25 percent local match by each recipient.

As with Question 2, voters are split nearly evenly over Question 3, again reflecting what had been predicted in the polling. With 96 percent of votes having been tabulated, the Associated Press is still reporting as of Friday afternoon that it is too close to determine whether or not this bond will ultimately be approved.

Question 4 proposed making $30 million available to establish the Maine Trails Program in order to leverage at least $3 million in matching public and private contributions for the “design, development, and maintenance of nonmotorized, motorized, and multi-use trails statewide.”

The Bureau of Parks and Lands will be restricted to $7.5 million spending annually, and after the first year, any remaining unspent balance may be added to the total for subsequent years.

These funds will be awarded through a competitive grant process to municipalities, executive branch departments and agencies, and nonprofit organizations.

Similar to Question 2, 55 percent of voters approved this proposal, again closely mirroring what polling indicated in September.

Question 5 asked voters if they wanted to replace the current state flag with an early 20th century design — commonly referred to as the Pine Tree Flag — that was used for about eight years prior to the adoption of the version featuring the State Seal.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows held a design contest this past summer to solicit options for the specific model flag upon which voters were asked to decide earlier this week. Although a design was chosen, an image was not be included on the ballot for voters to reference.

The official description of this design — as included in a bill signed into law earlier this year — reads: “buff, charged with the emblem of the State, a pine tree proper, in the center, and the North Star, a mullet of 5 points, in blue in the upper corner; the star to be equidistant from the hoist and the upper border of the flag, the distance from the 2 borders to the center of the star being equal to about 1/4 of the hoist, this distance and the size of the star being proportionate to the size of the flag.”

September polling showed Mainers were evenly divided on this question, with twenty percent still undecided at the time.

In the end, just over half of Mainers ultimately rejected the new flag design Tuesday, with 55.4 percent of voters casting their ballots in opposition to the proposal.