Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 302 – Formation of new party; organization about a candidate
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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 1999, c. 450, §2 (AMD).]
1. Declaration of intent. A voter or a group of voters not enrolled in a party qualified under section 301 must file a declaration of intent to form a party with the Secretary of State before 5 p.m. on the 180th day preceding the next primary election. 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; [PL 1985, c. 161, §6 (NEW).]
B. The name of a candidate for Governor or for President in the last preceding general election who was nominated by petition under subchapter II and who received 5% or more of the total vote cast in the State for Governor or for President in that election; [PL 1999, c. 450, §3 (AMD).]
C. The signed consent of that candidate; and [PL 1985, c. 161, §6 (NEW).]
D. The name, address, telephone number, if published, and signature of the voter or one of the group of voters who files the declaration of intent. [PL 1997, c. 436, §42 (AMD).]
[PL 1999, c. 450, §3 (AMD).]
Terms Used In Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 302
- Candidate: means any person who has filed a petition under either sections 335 and 336 or sections 354 and 355 and has qualified as a candidate by either procedure, or any person who has received contributions or made expenditures or has given consent for any other person to receive contributions or make expenditures with the intent of qualifying as a candidate. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
- 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
- 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
- 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. After filing the declaration described in subsection 1, the voter or voters proposing to form the party may then enroll voters in the proposed party under sections 141 to 145.
[PL 1985, c. 161, §6 (NEW).]
3. 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 II. 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 1999, c. 450, §4 (AMD).]
4. 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 3 and hold a state convention as prescribed by Article III in order to have the party designation of its candidates printed on the ballot in the general election of that year. The voter or group of voters who files the declaration of intent may perform the duties of the state committee under section 321, subsection 1 for the party’s initial convention.
[PL 1999, c. 450, §5 (AMD).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1985, c. 161, §6 (NEW). PL 1997, c. 436, §§42,43 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 450, §§2-5 (AMD).