Title

"Cover Story" piece on Maine's landmark Clean Election Act, which introduced a v

Authors

Jay Davis

Source

Maine Times

Date

1-21-1999

Pages

4, 5, 6, 7

Abstract

"Cover Story" piece on Maine's landmark Clean Election Act, which introduced a voluntary public financing system to state elections and has been cited as a model by reformers across the country since its passage in 1996. The Portland-based Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, claiming that politics in Maine has suffered from the infusion of special interest money, drafted and campaigned for the law, which is now being challenged by several legislators and the Maine Civil Liberties Union on grounds that limits on campaign contributions are an unconstitutional infringement of free speech. U.S. District Court Judge Brock Hornby let stand the law's reduced limits on contributions to candidates in a decision last month, but arguments on other challenges are scheduled for June. The act places the Maine Ethics Commission in charge of compliance and Bill Hain, the commission's executive director, notes that the law was passed by a 56-44 margin, which means the majority of voters supported public financing. Hain warns that legislators can't ignore that fact without suffering consequences.

Subjects

Maine Clean Election Act

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