AUGUSTA — GOP Gov. Paul LePage says southern Maine and out-of-state money have too much influence on what referendum questions appear on the ballot.
In his weekly address, LePage said he will submit legislation asking lawmakers to amend the state constitutional to require ballot campaigns to gather a proportion of signatures from each county. Right now, about 61,000 signatures are required for a question to appear on the ballot.
LePage has frequently expressed his concern about the constitutionality and economic consequences of five questions on the November ballot. Voters passed marijuana legalization, a minimum wage hike and a 3-percent surtax on income over $200,000 for schools.
LePage said legalizing marijuana violates federal law and claimed millions of dollars and “several legislative fixes” will be required to implement the “poorly drafted” question.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
