AUGUSTA, MAINE – The Office of the Secretary of State has issued the question for the people’s veto of the state’s supplemental budget. The question, which will appear on the petitions and, should the people’s veto move forward, Mainers’ ballots in November, reads:
“Do you want to stop additional funding for state programs and services, more funding for schools, and tax changes by rejecting the state's 2026 supplemental budget?”
The people’s veto is a constitutional provision (Art. 4, Pt.3, §17) that allows the citizens of Maine, through the initiative and referendum process, to repeal a piece of legislation passed by the legislature. The applicants have until 5 p.m. on July 28, or 90 days from the date the 132nd Maine Legislature adjourned, to submit at least 67,682 voters’ signatures to the Secretary of State’s office to pause implementation of “An Act Making Unified Supplemental Appropriations and Allocations for the Expenditures of State Government, General Fund and Other Funds, and Changing Certain Provisions of the Law Necessary to the Proper Operations of State Government for the Fiscal Years Ending June 30, 2026 and June 30, 2027”
Should the Secretary of State validate that sufficient signatures were filed, the supplemental budget would be paused and not go into effect, pending the November election outcome. The question would appear on the next statewide election ballot, which is the November 3, 2026 General Election.
More information about the people’s veto process may be found online.
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