This year, the Maine referendum election ballot featured five key questions addressing a range of issues, from the proposed redesign of the state’s official flag to the allocation of funds through state bonds. The results of the election represented the majority opinion of Maine voters. Any referendum passed will become effective 30 days post decision. Following the announcement of the official results, the University of Maine political science students were asked for their input.
Question 1 asked whether Maine voters agreed with establishing a $5,000 annual limit for individual, business and organization contributions made to political action committees (PACs). This cap on contributions aims to create equal opportunity for private political groups, essentially weakening the influence of PACs. Maine voted “Yes,” successfully establishing this limit to PAC spending.
Abby Caruso, an international affairs major, found this to be a positive development.
“The way that elections work now, it’s not really, really ever about promoting what you’re going to do, it’s about defaming the other candidate. Putting a cap on groups’ resources that are most likely gonna go towards anti-information about another candidate is a good thing,” said Caruso.
She emphasized that this creates an unlevel playing field for candidates, as it doesn’t promote voters’ ability to form their own opinions.
Question 2 sought to authorize a $25 million bond that would provide grants to research institutions, and passed with a majority of Mainers voting “Yes.” With UMaine being designated as an R1 university— a global standard for research excellence— this is particularly topical. To get a better understanding, students involved in R1 research at UMaine were asked what this state-wide decision means to them.
Christian Butler, an undergraduate in the Pre-Med program, saw this as an important measure.
“As someone who is in the medical field, I’m involved in these types of things, such as the CUGR Grant, which goes towards scientific research. And it is currently really difficult to get that grant,” Butler said.
Butler explained that students are not able to get involved with research mainly due to lack of funding. However, the authorization of this bond could change that.
“The most important thing we can do right now is to make more scientific advances, especially with things like the COVID-19 pandemic. We need those kinds of advances to get on top of disaster,” Butler continued.
Above all, Butler expressed hope that this will result in the improvement of the quality of life for Mainers.
Question 3 authorizes $10 million towards the restoration of historic buildings across the state. The measure passed with a majority of voters saying “Yes.”
“I think preservation of historic buildings is very important. A lot of those buildings are preserved for this reason. With Trump coming into office, they’re going to be applying a lot more filters on education, especially regarding gender and racial studies. Education is important and you need to learn history,” said Caruso. “Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.”
Butler offered a conflicting view, stating,“The money should go towards developments that benefit the people of Maine.”
To him, the state has larger issues, and he would rather see efforts being directed toward more urgent needs.
Question 4 authorizes $30 million to develop and maintain both motorized and non-motorized trails.A majority of the state voted yes, so the bond passed.
“Outdoor recreation is a big thing in Maine. If you can’t maintain the area where these things are happening, then people can’t do what they love,” said Caruso. She emphasized that it all comes down to state pride.
Her hope is that the passing of this budget allocation will “motivate more people to get out and experience the outdoors.”
“That bleeds into kids getting proper exercise, people getting exposure to the outdoors, and overall health and wellbeing of Mainers,” said Caruso.
Caruso, alongside many others, hope to see this money going towards what makes Maine so special — the beautiful wilderness.
Question 5 may be considered one of the more controversial referendum questions. This question was aimed at changing the official state flag, but it was not passed. Students were asked for their input post election, and it was clear why the flag was not changed.
“The chatter I’ve heard on this campus is that nobody is really a big fan of the new flag. People don’t want the stupid little pine tree with the star. Mainers care about their identity,” said Caruso. “To have the thing that represents your state boiled down to something that is a pathetic excuse is a disservice to the people.”
The passion for keeping the current flag was clear among not only Caruso, but many others.
“The current flag gives a sense of Maine, and the new flag they were proposing makes us look childish,” said Butler.
For many, the referendum may have not been the primary focus on the 2024 ballot with other outcomes at stake such as presidential and federal seat races. Nonetheless, the referendum results could still have a tangible impact on the lives of Maine residents, including UMaine students.
