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	Podcast:		Maine Things Considered
	Episode:		House Approves Bill To Change Signature-Gathering Requirements For Referendums
	Category:		Government & Organizations
	Duration:
	Publish Date:		2018-04-11 06:10:42
	Description:		The Maine House has given approval to a measure that would ask the voters to change provisions of the the state constitution governing the collection of signatures to initiate referendums. Supporters want to raise the bar for getting questions on the statewide ballot. The current language in the constitution is over a century old. It requires the valid signatures of 10 percent of the voters in the previous election to initiate legislation that lawmakers must either pass as proposed or send to the voters. In recent years, critics have argued that signatures can be more easily collected in the more populous counties than in rural areas of the state. This proposal would require that half the signatures be collected from each of the two congressional districts. Democratic Rep. Bob Duchesne of Hudson supports the change. “We are going to be setting up this feeling in certain parts of the state that they are being railroaded by other parts of the state. That’s not necessary. I think this
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