Maine Revised Statutes > Title 21-A > Chapter 1 – General Provisions

		Sections
Subchapter 1	Definitions, Construction and Application	1 – 7
Subchapter 2	Records and Documents	21 – 25
Subchapter 3	General Penalties	32 – 33

Terms Used In Maine Revised Statutes > Title 21-A > Chapter 1 - General Provisions

Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
Business day: means any day of the calendar year other than a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Challenged ballot: means a ballot cast by one whose eligibility to vote has been questioned during election day. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Circulate: means the presenting of a petition to a voter with an accompanying request that the voter sign it. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
County office: means the office of judge of probate, register of probate, county treasurer, register of deeds, sheriff, district attorney or county commissioner. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Declared write-in candidate: means a write-in candidate who has filed a declaration to be a write-in candidate pursuant to section 722?A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
Disputed ballot: means a ballot whose validity has been questioned during the recount process. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Distinguishing mark: means a mark on a ballot of a type or in a place not specifically permitted by this Title, which indicates the apparent intent of the voter to make the voter's ballot distinguishable in a manner that is fraudulent or inconsistent with an honest purpose. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Domestic partner: means one of 2 unmarried adults who are domiciled together under long-term arrangements that evidence a commitment to remain responsible indefinitely for each other's welfare. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
Elections determined by ranked-choice voting: means any of the following elections in which 3 or more candidates have qualified to be listed on the ballot for a particular office or at least 2 such candidates plus one or more declared write?in candidates have qualified for that particular office:

A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Electoral division: means an area set off for election purposes. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

employee: includes an officer of a political subdivision of the State. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 5 Sec. 19002

employment: means any service performed by an employee in the employ of any political subdivision of the State, for such employer, except service which in the absence of an agreement entered into under this chapter would constitute "employment" as defined in the Social Security Act; or service which under the Social Security Act may not be included in an agreement between the State and the Federal Security Administrator entered into under this chapter. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 5 Sec. 19002

Enroll: means to enlist as a member of a political party. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}

Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.

Federal Insurance Contributions Act: means the Federal Internal Revenue Code, chapter 9, subchapter A, as such Code has been and may from time to time be amended. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 5 Sec. 19002

Federal Security Administrator: includes any individual to whom the Federal Security Administrator has delegated any of his functions under the Social Security Act with respect to coverage under such Act of employees of states and their political subdivisions. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 5 Sec. 19002

Immediate family: means a person's spouse, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sister, half-sister, brother, half-brother, stepparent, stepgrandparent, stepchild, stepgrandchild, stepsister, stepbrother, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, guardian, former guardian, domestic partner, the half-brother or half-sister of a person's spouse, or the spouse of a person's half-brother or half-sister. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Major party: means a political party polling the greatest or the next greatest number of votes cast for Governor at the last gubernatorial election. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Member of the merchant marine: means a person, other than a member of a uniformed service or a person employed, enrolled or maintained on the Great Lakes or the inland waterways, who is:

A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Minor party: means a political party other than a major party. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

municipal clerk: means the clerk of a municipality. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 2001

Municipal committee: means a city, town or ward committee of a political party. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Municipal officers: means the mayor and aldermen or councillors of a city, the members of the select board or councillors of a town and the assessors of a plantation. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Municipal officers: means :

A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 2001

Municipality: means a city or town, except as provided in chapter 225. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 2001

Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.

Official tally tape: means the first tape produced by an electronic tabulating machine that tallies the final vote totals at the conclusion of voting and that is attached to the zero tape produced by the machine prior to the start of voting. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Online voter registration application: means the electronic voter registration application form created by the Secretary of State pursuant to section 152 and available on the Secretary of State's publicly accessible website and through which, in accordance with the rules adopted under section 152, subsection 6, an individual may register to vote and enroll in a party or a registered voter may enroll in a party, change the voter's party enrollment, withdraw from a party or notify the appropriate registrar of voters of a change in the voter's name or address when the voter's name is changed due to marriage or other process of law or when the voter has moved within a municipality. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Overseas voter: means :

A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Peace officer: means state police officer, local police officer, sheriff, deputy sheriff or constable. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Person: means an individual, corporation, partnership, firm, organization or other legal entity. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 2001

Political committee: means 2 or more persons associated for the purpose of promoting or defeating a candidate, party or principle. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

political subdivision: includes an instrumentality of the State of Maine, of one or more of its political subdivisions, the University of Maine System, academies, water, sewer and school districts and associations of municipalities, or an instrumentality of the State and one or more of its political subdivisions, but only if such instrumentality is a juristic entity which is legally separate and distinct from the State or subdivision and only if its employees are not by virtue of their relation to such juristic entity employees of the State or subdivision. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 5 Sec. 19002

Pollwatcher: means a party worker who remains in the voting place outside the guardrail enclosure for the purpose of viewing the voting process, keeping track of the voters who have voted or challenging voters whose qualifications appear to be in question. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Population: means the population determined by the last Decennial Census of the United States. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.

Probate: Proving a will

Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.

Public counter: means a separate counter built into a voting device that records the total number of ballots cast or tabulated on the voting device for an election. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

public drain: means any sewer or drain constructed or laid by a governmental entity for the use of the public and includes both gravity and pressure mains. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 2001

Ranked-choice voting: means the method of casting and tabulating votes in which voters rank candidates in order of preference, tabulation proceeds in sequential rounds in which last-place candidates are defeated and the candidate with the most votes in the final round is elected. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Real estate: means land and structures attached to it. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 2001

Regular election: means an election or a referendum held at a regular time prescribed by statute. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.

Residence: means that place where the person has established a fixed and principal home to which the person, whenever temporarily absent, intends to return. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Residence address: means the street and number or other designation indicating the physical location of a person's residence. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Sewage: means the water-carried wastes created in and carried or to be carried away from any structure together with any surface or ground water or household and industrial waste that is present. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 2001

Signature: includes a signature stamp and a signature written by another registered voter on behalf of an individual in accordance with the procedure set forth in section 153?A and, for an individual who is unable to sign that individual's own name, a mark. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Social Security Act: means the Act of Congress approved August 14, 1935, chapter 531, 49 Stat. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 5 Sec. 19002

Special election: means an election other than a regular election. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

state agency: means the Maine Public Employees Retirement System. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 5 Sec. 19002

State office: means the office of Governor, State Senator, Representative to the State Legislature or presidential elector. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Statute: A law passed by a legislature.

Town: includes cities and plantations, unless otherwise expressed or implied. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72

Township: means unorganized territory. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Treasurer: means a person appointed by a candidate or a political committee to accept or disburse money to promote or defeat a candidate, party or principle. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Uncontested office: means an office where, as of the final date for filing primary nomination petitions, either:

A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Undeclared write-in candidate: means a write-in candidate who has not filed a declaration pursuant to section 722?A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Uniformed service: means the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, the commissioned corps of the United States Public Health Service and the commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Uniformed service voter: means :

A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Veto: The procedure established under the Constitution by which the President/Governor refuses to approve a bill or joint resolution and thus prevents its enactment into law. A regular veto occurs when the President/Governor returns the legislation to the house in which it originated. The President/Governor usually returns a vetoed bill with a message indicating his reasons for rejecting the measure. In Congress, the veto can be overridden only by a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House.

Voter participation history: means the indication in the central voter registration system of whether a voter has cast a ballot in a certain election, as reflected on the incoming voting list for that election. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Voting district: means an area set off from another in the same municipality for voting purposes. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Voting indicator: means the space provided for marking a vote in accordance with a particular type of ballot. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

voting station: includes the area, location, booth, table or enclosure where voting takes place and includes any voting machine, voting device or accessible voting system placed in the voting booth or voting station. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

wages: means all remuneration for employment as defined, including the cash value of all remuneration paid in any medium other than cash, except that such term shall not include that part of such remuneration which, even if it were for "employment" within the meaning of the Federal Insurance Contributions Act, would not constitute "wages" within the meaning of that Act. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 5 Sec. 19002