LATEST NEWS:

Clean Elections will be on the Ballot in November.

October 18, 2022

The Charter Commission released its final report, which recommends historic changes to the structure of the Portland city government. These recommendations will appear as questions on the November 8 ballot, and Portland voters can vote on whether or not to adopt each measure. Clean Elections will be one of those measures and listed as Question 3. The ballot question will establish a voluntary clean election fund that would provide public campaign money to qualified candidates running for municipal offices. Vote YES on Question 3 to establish Clean Elections in Portland!

Learn more about the Charter Commission.

Learn more about Clean Elections.

 

Who supports Question 3?

In 2019, more than 6,800 Portland voters signed petitions to qualify Clean Elections for the ballot - more signatures than any campaign has ever collected in Portland! Though the city council decided to call for a charter commission rather than place the question on the ballot, many emphasized at the time that they supported Clean Elections. The Charter Commission unanimously recommended the current Question 3 for adoption.

Question 3 has been endorsed by Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, The League of Women Voters of Maine, and many current and former elected officials.

It's endorsed by the following Portland City Councilors:

• Pious Ali, At-Large
• April Fournier, At-Large
• Roberto Rodriguez, At-Large
• Anna Trevorrow, District 1
• Victoria Pelletier, District 2
• Andrew Zarro, District 4

Question 3 received an endorsement from the Portland Press Herald Editorial Board.

 

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Portland Clean Elections Advocates Respond To Superior Court Ruling

MARCH 1, 2022

Fair Elections Portland (FEP) and its attorneys released the following in response to the Superior Court’s decision on the proposed charter amendment for the City of Portland:

F.E.P. attorney John Brautigam said, “Although we are disappointed in the decision, Justice McKeon makes clear that nothing in the Charter or the Constitution compelled the 2019 City Council to reject the Clean Elections ballot question, nor the 2021 City Council to stand by that decision. It was up to the Council to decide. As the Court noted (p. 14) , ‘The City Council could have found that the proposal was an amendment.’ Fair Elections Portland has consistently argued that the Council should have designated the proposal as a charter amendment.”

F.E.P. attorney Benjamin Gaines said, “The Court also agreed with Fair Election Portland that, contrary to the instructions of corporation counsel last summer and fall, the 2021 Council ‘could have heard more evidence in light of the Law Court’s decision.’ (p. 11.) Fair Elections Portland has consistently argued that the Portland City Council should promptly reconsider its earlier decision and carefully weigh all of the evidence before it.”

F.E.P. President Anna Kellar said, “Over 8,000 Portland voters demanded the chance for a say on this measure. It will take a little longer for the will of the voters to be heard, but we remain confident that multiple options exist for reversing the 2019 City Council’s erroneous decision. While we weigh how vulnerable the court opinion is to appellate review, we will also consider more expeditious options for working with others who share our commitment to a pathway for prompt ballot placement.”

Brautigam added, “Without a response, this decision could be a setback for democracy at a perilous time. Ballot placement should be a decision for the people, not for City officials. Democracy is based on ‘consent of the governed,’ not ‘consent of the government.’”