FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Jan. 23, 2017
Contact: Kristen Schulze Muszynski
Office: 626-8404/ Cell: 441-7638

Citizens’ initiative for York County slot machines/casino qualifies for 2017 ballot

AUGUSTA – The citizens’ initiative petition effort “An Act To Allow Slot Machines Or a Casino in York County,” has submitted the required number of valid signatures to qualify for the 2017 referendum ballot, Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap confirmed today.

The petitions for this citizens’ initiative legislation had been in circulation since Dec. 8, 2015. Proponents submitted 19,873 petitions with 64,897 signatures to the Elections Division on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016.

Staff members at the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions have completed the process of certifying all of the petitions and have found 52,930 valid signatures of registered Maine voters, while 11,967 are not valid.

The proponents of this effort had previously submitted petitions in February 2016, but did not have enough valid signatures of Maine voters to qualify for the November 2016 ballot. Of those signatures, Elections staff found 35,518 valid. Fewer than 1,000 of those signatures are now invalid due to being more than one year old. Thus, between the two filings, the petitioners have submitted more than 87,000 valid signatures.

State law requires a minimum of 61,123 valid signatures, which is 10% of the total votes cast in the last gubernatorial election, for a successful citizens’ initiative effort. As the effort has exceeded that threshold, the question will now appear on the November 2017 referendum ballot.

According to the proposed bill summary, this legislation seeks to allow a casino or slot machine facility in York County, with associated provisions. Visit http://maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/citizens/index.html to view the proposed legislation in its entirety.