Elections in Maine |
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Maine Question 2, formally An Act to Establish The Fund to Advance Public Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education, [1] was a citizen-initiated referendum question that appeared on the Maine November 8, 2016 statewide ballot. It sought to increase state aid to public schools by instituting a surcharge of 3% on Maine income taxes for those with income above $200,000 a year. As the Maine Legislature declined to enact the proposal as written, it appeared on the ballot along with elections for President of the United States, Maine's two U.S. House seats, the Legislature, and various local elections.
The question was passed by roughly 10,000 votes. The surtax created by the question was repealed as part of state budget negotiations on July 3, 2017 that added $162 million to public education funding from general revenue.
In 2003, Maine voters passed a referendum calling for the state to pay for 55% of the cost of operating public schools, as a way to reduce pressure on local property taxes. That percentage had never been met. [2] To attempt to reach that target, a group called Stand Up for Students announced that it would start a petition drive to implement a 3% surcharge on Maine income taxes paid on those with incomes above $200,000 a year, estimated to be the top 2% of earners in Maine. [3] It is estimated that such a tax surcharge would result in $110 million a year in revenue. [4]
The petition drive was carried out by some paid signature gatherers, but was largely done by volunteers from the Maine Education Association and the Maine People's Alliance, a liberal organizing group. MEA members were offered $25 Visa gift cards for every 100 signatures they gathered. [5] The office of Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap certified that the proposal qualified for the ballot on March 2, 2016, stating that 66,849 signatures were valid. [4]
The exact wording of the question was disputed. Secretary Dunlap proposed the wording "Do you want to establish a fund to support kindergarten through 12th grade public education by adding a three percent surcharge on Maine taxable income above $200,000?". During the required public comment period before the wording was finalized, the Governor's Office filed an objection to the proposed wording, stating that the word 'tax' or 'surtax' should be used instead of 'surcharge'. Doing so, they stated, would have been consistent with prior referendums calling for generating revenue. A Stand Up for Students spokesman called the objection an effort to confuse voters, citing tax cuts enacted by Governor Paul LePage. Dunlap had until June 24 to make a final decision, which was only possible to appeal by going to court. [6]
Dunlap released the final wording of the question on June 23, which read as "Do you want to add a 3% tax on individual Maine taxable income above $200,000 to create a state fund that would provide direct support for student learning in kindergarten through 12th grade public education?" [7]
The Maine State Chamber of Commerce formed a PAC called No on Question 2 on August 2, 2016. Chamber President Dana Connors said that while they support strong education funding, it should be done in a manner that does not affect the economy. He went on to state that such a tax would discourage professionals from living in Maine. [8]
Date of opinion poll | Conducted by | Sample size (likely voters) | Yes | No | Undecided | Margin of Error |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
October 20–25, 2016 [14] | University of New Hampshire | 761 | 57% | 34% | 9% | ±3.6% |
September 15–20, 2016 [15] | University of New Hampshire | 506 | 60% | 32% | 8% | ±4.3% |
Uncertified results indicated that Question 2 passed by a margin of around 10,000 votes. Due to the closeness of the result, opponents of Question 2 filed a petition for a recount, then withdrew their petition on November 29. [16] [17]
County | Yes | Votes | No | Votes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Androscoggin | 49.84% | 28,133 | 50.16% | 28,317 |
Aroostook | 51.55% | 18,209 | 48.45% | 17,117 |
Cumberland | 52.44% | 91,039 | 47.56% | 82,568 |
Franklin | 48.69% | 8,200 | 51.31% | 8,641 |
Hancock | 48.72% | 15,831 | 51.28% | 16,662 |
Kennebec | 49.56% | 33,211 | 50.44% | 33,807 |
Knox | 53.67% | 12,555 | 46.33% | 10,839 |
Lincoln | 49.67% | 10,850 | 50.33% | 10,993 |
Oxford | 50.49% | 16,089 | 49.51% | 15,777 |
Penobscot | 47.10% | 38,369 | 52.90% | 43,102 |
Piscataquis | 42.23% | 3,948 | 57.77% | 5,401 |
Sagadahoc | 51.40% | 11,313 | 48.60% | 10,698 |
Somerset | 46.04% | 12,165 | 53.96% | 14,258 |
Waldo | 51.27% | 11,776 | 48.73% | 11,192 |
Washington | 46.49% | 7,759 | 53.51% | 8,930 |
York | 52.80% | 61,137 | 47.20% | 54,663 |
UOCAVA | 76.31% | 2,844 | 23.69% | 883 |
Total | 50.63% | 383,428 | 49.37% | 373,848 |
The creation of the surtax became a point of contention in state budget negotiations for the 2017–2018 budget, with Governor LePage and minority House Republicans opposed to any tax increases in the budget. A budget that did not eliminate the surtax passed the Republican-controlled Maine Senate, but not the House, leading to a shutdown of Maine state government at the end of the fiscal year on June 30. [19] Three days later, negotiators agreed to, and LePage signed, a budget that eliminated the surtax but added an additional $162 million for public education to the budget. [20]
Matthew Dunlap is an American politician from Maine who has served as the Maine State Auditor since November, 2022, and previously from January to October, 2021. A Democrat, Dunlap served as Secretary of State of Maine from January 7, 2013, to January 4, 2021, and previously served in that same post from 2005 to 2011. In 2012, he sought to become his party's nominee to replace retiring Olympia Snowe, but lost in the primary to State Senator Cynthia Dill. Prior to his first election as secretary of state in 2005, he represented Old Town in the Maine House of Representatives for four terms beginning in 1996. On December 2, 2020, Dunlap was elected Maine State Auditor by the Maine Legislature and took office on January 4, 2021. Dunlap had to vacate the position after failing the exams needed to meet the requirements of the position the following October, and was replaced by Jacob Norton. He did later meet the requirements and was selected for the position again on November 14, 2022.
Same-sex marriage has been legally recognized in Maine since December 29, 2012. A bill for the legalization of same-sex marriages was approved by voters, 53–47 percent, on November 6, 2012, as Maine, Maryland and Washington became the first U.S. states to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote. Election results were certified by the Maine Secretary of State's office and the Governor of Maine, Paul LePage, on November 29. Maine was the eighth U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage.
Paul Richard LePage is American businessman and politician who served as the 74th governor of Maine from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the mayor of Waterville, Maine, from 2004 to 2011 and as a city councilor for Waterville from 1998 to 2002.
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