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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 13
S.P. 26 In Senate, January 8, 2025
An Act to Provide Funds Necessary for the Production and Delivery
of Election Materials by the Secretary of State and to Reconvene the
Working Group to Study Polling Places at Schools
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on January 6, 2025. Referred to the Committee on
Veterans and Legal Affairs pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator HICKMAN of Kennebec.
Cosponsored by Senators: BENNETT of Oxford, BRENNER of Cumberland, President
DAUGHTRY of Cumberland, Representatives: RIELLY of Westbrook, SUPICA of Bangor.
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1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §611 is enacted to read:
3§611. Production and Delivery of Election Materials Fund
41. Fund established. The Production and Delivery of Election Materials Fund, a
5 nonlapsing, interest-bearing Other Special Revenue Funds account within the Department
6 of the Secretary of State, referred to in this section as "the fund," is established for the
7 purpose of receiving funds from the State to support the costs associated with the
8 production and delivery of election materials as required under this Title, including, but not
9 limited to, ballots, absentee ballot envelopes, voter registration applications, forms,
10 instructions and other election supplies. The use of funds from the fund is in addition to
11 any funds received by the Department of the Secretary of State from the State for this
12 purpose.
132. Funding. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, on or before
14 September 30, 2025, and every September 30th thereafter, the State Controller shall
15 transfer $266,000 from the unappropriated surplus of the General Fund to the Department
16 of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions program,
17 Production and Delivery of Election Materials Fund Other Special Revenue Funds account
18 to support the costs associated with the production and delivery of election materials
19 pursuant to subsection 1, except that, beginning December 1, 2026, the transfer amount
20 must be adjusted every 2 years based on the Consumer Price Index as reported by the
21 United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and rounded to the nearest
22 amount divisible by $100.
233. Carry forward; transfer of funds. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the
24 contrary, the State Controller shall carry forward any remaining balances in the Department
25 of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions program,
26 General Fund account at the end of fiscal year 2025-26 and each fiscal year thereafter into
27 the following fiscal year and shall transfer those balances each fiscal year to the Department
28 of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions program,
29 Production and Delivery of Election Materials Fund Other Special Revenue Funds account.
30Sec. 2. Working group to study polling places at schools reconvened. The
31 Department of the Secretary of State shall convene a working group, referred to in this
32 section as "the working group," to study the use of school buildings as polling places, to
33 consider options to protect the security of school students and staff, election staff and voters
34 and to consider polling place accessibility. The department shall provide the necessary
35 staffing services to the working group.
36 1. The working group consists of 9 members as follows:
37 A. The Secretary of State or the secretary's designee;
38 B. The deputy secretary of state of the bureau of corporations, elections and
39 commissions within the Department of the Secretary of State or the deputy secretary's
40 designee;
41 C. The Commissioner of Education or the commissioner's designee;
42 D. A representative of the Maine School Boards Association, appointed by the
43 Secretary of State;
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1 E. A representative of the Maine School Superintendents Association, appointed by
2 the Secretary of State;
3 F. A representative of the Maine Town and City Clerks' Association, appointed by the
4 Secretary of State;
5 G. A representative of the Maine Municipal Association, appointed by the Secretary
6 of State;
7 H. A representative of an organization dedicated to advancing the legal rights of
8 individuals with disabilities, appointed by the Secretary of State; and
9 I. A representative of an organization dedicated to the protection of voters who are
10 from historically underrepresented or marginalized communities, appointed by the
11 Secretary of State.
12 2. To the extent possible, membership in the working group must be the same as the
13 working group convened under Resolve 2023, chapter 73. Members of the working group
14 are not compensated for their participation in the working group.
15 3. The working group shall:
16 A. Identify the number of school buildings in the State that are designated as polling
17 places;
18 B. Examine and identify practices in other states around the use of school buildings as
19 polling places;
20 C. Evaluate the criteria necessary to protect the security of school students and staff,
21 election staff and voters when school buildings are used as polling places;
22 D. Identify possible changes to practices around the use of school buildings as polling
23 places to protect voter accessibility and to safeguard the security of school students and
24 staff, election staff and voters when a school building is used as a polling place; and
25 E. Make recommendations based on the findings of the working group.
26 4. No later than December 15, 2025, the Department of the Secretary of State shall
27 submit a report that includes the findings and recommendations of the working group,
28 including suggested legislation, to the Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal
29 Affairs. The committee may report out legislation based on the report to the Second Regular
30 Session of the 132nd Legislature.
31SUMMARY
32 This bill establishes the Production and Delivery of Election Materials Fund as a
33 nonlapsing, interest-bearing Other Special Revenue Funds account within the Department
34 of the Secretary of State for the purpose of receiving funds from the State to support the
35 costs associated with the production and delivery of election materials. The use of funds
36 from the fund is in addition to any other funds received by the department from the State
37 for that purpose.
38 It also provides for an ongoing transfer to the Production and Delivery of Election
39 Materials Fund from the unappropriated surplus of the General Fund. In 2025 the transfer
40 is $266,000, and the amount must be adjusted for the cost of living every 2 years.
41 Additionally, it provides for any remaining balances in the Department of Secretary of
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42 State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions program, General Fund account
43 at the end of each fiscal year to be transferred to the Production and Delivery of Election
44 Materials Fund.
4 The bill also reconvenes a working group to study polling places at schools in order to
5 protect the security of school students and staff, election staff and voters and to consider
6 polling place accessibility.
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