Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 303 – Formation of new party; organization by party enrollment
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In addition to the procedure under section 302, a party whose designation was not listed on the general election ballot in the last preceding general election qualifies to participate in a primary election if it meets the requirements of subsections 1 and 2. [PL 2013, c. 131, §11 (AMD).]
1. Declaration of intent. Ten or more voters who are not enrolled in a party qualified under section 301 must file a declaration of intent to form a party with the Secretary of State between December 1st and December 30th of an even-numbered year. The declaration of intent must be on a form designed by the Secretary of State and must include:
A. The designation of the proposed party; and [PL 1985, c. 161, §6 (NEW).]
B. The names, addresses, telephone numbers, if published, and signatures of the voters who file the declaration of intent. [PL 1997, c. 436, §44 (AMD).]
[PL 2013, c. 131, §11 (AMD).]
Terms Used In Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 303
- Election year: means the calendar year within which a particular election is held. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
- Enroll: means to enlist as a member of a political party. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
- General election: means the regular election of state and county officials occurring biennially in November. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
- may: when used in this Title, is used in a permissive sense to grant authority or permission, but not to create duty, to act in the manner specified by the context. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 7
- Municipal committee: means a city, town or ward committee of a political party. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
- Municipality: means a city, town or plantation. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
- Party: means a political organization which has qualified to participate in a primary or general election under chapter 5. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
- Primary election: means the regular election for the election of nominees of a party for the general election. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
- Voter: means a person registered to vote. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
- Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
2. Enrollment of voters. Within 5 business days after the declaration of intent required in subsection 1 is filed, the Secretary of State shall certify whether the application meets the requirements of subsection 1 and, if so, notify the applicants that they may enroll voters in the proposed party under sections 141 to 145. On or before January 2nd of the next even-numbered year following the filing of the application under subsection 1, the applicants must file a certification with the Secretary of State, on a form designed by the Secretary of State, that they have at least 5,000 voters enrolled in the proposed party. The Secretary of State shall verify the proposed party’s enrollment figures within 15 business days of receiving the proposed party’s certification and notify the applicants whether the proposed party has met the requirements to participate in a primary election in the subsequent even-numbered year. A determination by the Secretary of State that the party has not met these requirements may be challenged pursuant to section 303?A.
[PL 2017, c. 254, §2 (AMD).]
3. Petition.
[PL 2013, c. 131, §11 (RP).]
4. Municipal caucuses. A party that has qualified under subsections 1 and 2 to participate in a primary election must conduct municipal caucuses in at least one municipality in each of the 16 counties during that election year as prescribed in Article 2. The chair of the municipal committee or a resident voter in the municipality must file a copy of the notice required by section 311, subsection 3 with the Secretary of State before 5 p.m. on March 20th.
[PL 2013, c. 131, §11 (AMD).]
5. Convention. A party that has qualified under subsections 1 and 2 to participate in a primary election must in that same year conduct the municipal caucuses under subsection 4 and hold a state convention as prescribed by Article 3, in order to have the party designation of its candidates printed on the ballot in the general election of that year. The voters who file the declaration of intent may perform the duties of the state committee under section 321, subsection 1 for the party’s initial convention.
[PL 2013, c. 131, §11 (AMD).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1985, c. 161, §6 (NEW). PL 1991, c. 466, §13 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 862, §3 (AMD). PL 1995, c. 459, §20 (AMD). PL 1997, c. 436, §44 (AMD). PL 1997, c. 581, §1 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 426, §10 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 450, §§6-9 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 790, §A22 (AMD). PL 2001, c. 310, §16 (AMD). PL 2013, c. 131, §11 (AMD). PL 2017, c. 254, §2 (AMD).