The time has finally come. The Protect Maine Elections bill (LD 1610) to stop foreign government spending in Maine elections and call for Citizen's United to be overturned has been printed and will receive a public hearing at the State House in Augusta on Wednesday, May 3rd at 1 PM.
As a Maine voter, your voice is incredibly important in this effort. Maine is not for sale to foreign governments or wealthy campaign contributors. Maine belongs to the Maine people.
Together, we can make a difference:
Contact your legislators:
Use this form to contact your legislators and urge them to support LD 1610. It's quick. It's easy. It'll only take a few minutes.
Rally at the State House:
We'll meet outside, between the State House and the Cross building, at 12 PM on Wednesday, May 3 for a rally before attending the public hearing. To learn more and to RSVP, click here.
Testify at the public hearing:
Testifying is an important way for the committee to know that Mainers care about LD 1610. We've written up a guide to writing and submitting testimony: click here to access. This walks you through all the necessary steps.
Facing writer's block? Check out this explainer on LD 1690. Use it to help guide your testimony.
For tips on writing and presenting testimony, contact Chris at chris@protectmaineelections.com. If you're already a pro at writing your own statements, you can submit testimony here.
LD 1610, explained:
LD 1610 will prohibit donations and disbursements by foreign governments, foreign government-owned entities, and foreign government-influenced entities in ballot measures and candidate campaigns. This developed from a concern that our system of self-government should place political control in the hands of the sovereign people. The legislation originally started as a citizen's initiative, but will now travel through the Legislature as a bill. Maine Citizens for Clean Elections endorsed the initiative in 2021, and two years later, we continue to endorse this effort through the bill, LD 1610.
To read more about the timeline of the initiative and why it became legislation, check out this piece published to Maine Public.