People's veto referendum on reversing removal of religious and philosophical vaccination exemptions
Question 1
March 3, 2020 (2020-03-03)
Do you want to reject the new law that removes religious and philosophical exemptions to requiring immunization against certain communicable diseases for students to attend schools and colleges and for employees of nursery schools and health care facilities?
2020 Maine Question 1 was a people's veto referendum that sought to reject a new law which eliminated religious and philosophical exemptions from school vaccination requirements and for employees of nursery schools and health care facilities. The question appeared on the March 3, 2020 statewide ballot.[citation needed]
On April 23, 2019, The Maine House of Representatives voted 78-59 to pass LD 798, "An Act To Protect Maine Children and Students from Preventable Diseases by Repealing Certain Exemptions from the Laws Governing Immunization Requirements". The bill was sponsored by Ryan Tipping (D-Orono).[2]
The Maine State Senate passed the bill 20-15 on May 2 but amended it to keep religious exemptions.[3] The House rejected the amendment on May 7 and sent the bill back to the Senate.[4]
On May 23, the Senate reversed course and passed the bill, without the religious exemption, by a vote of 19-16.[5][6] On May 24, 2019, Maine governor Janet Mills signed the bill into law effective September 2021. Maine thus became the fourth state in the US to allow only medical exemptions for school immunization requirements.[7]
Petition effort
Prior to the September 19, 2019 deadline, opponents of the new law submitted 95,071 signatures to Maine Secretary of StateMatthew Dunlap.[8] Of those, 79,000 were deemed valid, surpassing the 63,067 required for the veto effort to be included on a statewide ballot.[9] (In Maine, a number of valid signatures equalling 10% of the votes cast in the previous gubernatorial election are required for a people's veto to be accepted for inclusion on a statewide ballot.)[10]
Date of the vote
While signatures were being gathered, Dunlap's office told organizers of the veto effort that, if qualified for the ballot, the vote would coincide with state legislative and congressional primary elections in June 2020. However, that guidance failed to take into account the recent change in the law to hold primary elections for presidential nominees, as opposed to a caucus, on the March 3 Super Tuesday. Thus the referendum vote would be held on March 3, as it was the next scheduled statewide election. Dunlap's office admitted to the error, but said that it has no discretion over when to schedule elections and explained that timing is generally not discussed until petitions are submitted and validated, which had not happened yet.[11]
Yes vs. No
"Yes on 1 to Reject Big Pharma"
Supporters of the veto campaign, who wished to restore religious and philosophical exemptions for required vaccination, became "Yes on 1 to Reject Big Pharma."
"Maine has the opportunity to undo this assault on our freedom. Send a message to the pharmaceutical industry and government officials that we will not surrender this basic human right. Help preserve medical freedom in Maine. Vote yes on Question 1." Donna Dodge, resident of Denmark, Maine[12]
"No on 1 to Protect Maine's Children"
Opponents of the veto, who wished to allow only medical exemptions for required vaccination, became "No on 1 to Protect Maine's Children."
"Right now, Maine’s community immunity rates are not high enough to ensure that children who cannot be immunized attend safe schools. On behalf of all children, our communities and the legacy of prioritizing health and education in Maine, on March 3 please vote “No” on Question 1." Anne Coates, pediatric pulmonologist, Maine Medical Center Pediatric Specialty Care[13]
Campaign
On February 4, 2020, campaigns on both sides of the referendum held campaign kickoff events at the Maine State House.[14]
^Dodge, Donna (February 14, 2020). "Vote yes on Question 1". The Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
