Tag: citizen initiatives

Democracy Forum 2/17/17

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine    
Engineer: John Greenman

Program Topic: Ballot Questions in Maine: Whose Initiatives Are They?

Key Discussion Points:
We’ll discuss what happened in the recent election
What our constitution provides
What role the legislature and the governor are playing now.

Guests:
a) John Brautigam, Attorney and election law expert
b) Ron Schmidt, Associate Professor of Political Science at USM. https://usm.maine.edu/pos/ronald-schmidt

To learn more about this topic:
Laws Governing the Initiative Process in Maine
Initiated Bills in Maine 1911 –
Peoples Vetoes in Maine 1909 –
Referenda in Maine 1910 –
As Progressives Turn to Ballot Initiatives, GOP Eyes Restrictions Steve Mistler story for Maine Public, February 2, 2017.

The all-volunteer team at the League of Women Voters – Downeast who plan and coordinate this series includes:
Don Carmichael
Suzanne Carmichael
Starr Gilmartin
Maggie Harling
Linda Hoskins
Ann Luther
Maryann Ogonowski
Pam Person
Leah Taylor
Linda Washburn

FMI re League of Women Voters of Maine: www.lwvme.org

Democracy Forum 10/21/16

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine    
Engineer: Amy Browne

Program Topic: Ballot Questions in Maine

Key Discussion Points:
a) We’ll discuss the ballot questions in Maine this year, how the process works, what the questions mean, and how citizen initiatives fit into a representative versus a direct democracy.
b) What are the questions on the ballot? What do they mean? What are the arguments for and against the question?
c) Where can voters learn more?

Guests:
Amy Fried, Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine https://umaine.edu/polisci/faculty-and-staff/amy- fried/
Jill Goldthwait, former Maine State Senator and award-winning political columnist for the Ellsworth American and the Mount Desert Islander.
       

The all-volunteer team at the League of Women Voters – Downeast who plan and coordinate this series includes:
John Bradford
Linda Hoskins
Ann Luther
Marge May
Pam Person
Leah Taylor
Linda Washburn

FMI re League of Women Voters of Maine: www.lwvme.org