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An Act To Amend the Requirements for a Political Party To Retain Qualified Party Status under the Election Laws
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §301, sub-§1, ¶E, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 426, §2, is amended to read:
 
E. At least 10,000 voters enrolled in the party voted in the last general election or the party's nominee for President or Governor received 5% or more of the total vote cast in the State for President or for Governor in that election.
Sec. 2. Retroactivity. This Act applies retroactively to November 1, 2016 and applies to any party whose nominee for President of the United States appeared on the ballot at the general election on November 8, 2016.
 
SUMMARY
This bill amends the requirements for a political party to retain qualified party status. It allows a party to retain that status if the party's nominee for President of the United States or Governor received at least 5% of the total vote cast in the State for President or Governor in the last general election. This provision applies to any party whose nominee for President appeared on the ballot at the general election on November 8, 2016.