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An Act To Prohibit a Person from Collecting Contributions under the Maine Clean Election Act at a Polling Place
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §1125, sub-§2-A, as amended by IB 2015, c. 1, §16, is further amended to read:
 
2-A. Seed money restrictions.   To be eligible for certification, a participating candidate may collect and spend only seed money contributions subsequent to becoming a candidate and prior to certification. A participating candidate may not solicit, accept or collect seed money contributions after certification as a Maine Clean Election Act candidate. A participating candidate may not solicit, accept or collect seed money contributions within a voting place or on public property within 250 feet of the entrance to the voting place.
 
A. All goods and services received prior to certification must be paid for with seed money contributions, except for goods and services that are excluded from the definition of contribution in section 1012, subsection 2, paragraph B. It is a violation of this chapter for a participating candidate to use fund revenues received after certification to pay for goods and services received prior to certification.
 
B. Prior to certification, a participating candidate may obligate an amount greater than the seed money collected, but may only receive that portion of goods and services that has been paid for or will be paid for with seed money. A participating candidate who has accepted contributions or made expenditures that do not comply with the seed money restrictions under this chapter may petition the commission to remain eligible for certification as a Maine Clean Election Act candidate in accordance with rules of the commission, if the failure to comply was unintentional and does not constitute a significant infraction of these restrictions.
 
C. Upon requesting certification, a participating candidate shall file a report of all seed money contributions and expenditures. If the candidate is certified, any unspent seed money will be deducted from the amount distributed to the candidate as provided in subsection 8-F.
Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §1125, sub-§3, as amended by IB 2015, c. 1, §18, is further amended to read:
 
3. Qualifying contributions.   Participating candidates must obtain qualifying contributions during the qualifying period as follows:
 
A. For a gubernatorial candidate, at least 3,200 verified registered voters of this State must support the candidacy by providing a qualifying contribution to that candidate;
 
B. For a candidate for the State Senate, at least 175 verified registered voters from the candidate's electoral division must support the candidacy by providing a qualifying contribution to that candidate; or
 
C. For a candidate for the State House of Representatives, at least 60 verified registered voters from the candidate's electoral division must support the candidacy by providing a qualifying contribution to that candidate.
 
A participating candidate may not solicit, accept or collect qualifying contributions within a voting place or on public property within 250 feet of the entrance to the voting place. A payment, gift or anything of value may not be given in exchange for a qualifying contribution. A candidate may pay the fee for a money order that is a qualifying contribution in the amount of $5 as long as the donor making the qualifying contribution pays the $5 amount reflected on the money order. Any money order fees paid by a participating candidate must be paid for with seed money and reported in accordance with commission rules. A money order must be signed by the contributor to be a valid qualifying contribution. The commission may establish by routine technical rule, adopted in accordance with Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A, a procedure for a qualifying contribution to be made by a credit or debit transaction and by electronic funds transfer over the Internet. Records containing information provided by individuals who have made qualifying contributions over the Internet are confidential, except for the name of the individual making the contribution, the date of the contribution, the individual's residential address and the name and office sought of the candidate in whose support the contribution was made.
 
It is a violation of this chapter for a participating candidate or an agent of the participating candidate to misrepresent the purpose of soliciting qualifying contributions and obtaining the contributor's signed acknowledgement.
 
SUMMARY
This bill prohibits the solicitation, acceptance or collection by a participating candidate under the Maine Clean Election Act of seed money contributions or qualifying contributions within 250 feet of the entrance to a voting place as well as within the voting place itself.