AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) A couple of high-profile ballot questions will appear before Maine voters this November.
One question will ask residents if they want to ban construction of high-impact electric transmission lines in the Upper Kennebec region. It also asks if voters want to require the Maine Legislature to approve other similar projects in Maine, and whether a two-thirds vote should be necessary for projects on public land.
That referendum is an outgrowth of the fight over the New England Clean Energy Connect, which would bring hydropower from Quebec.
Another question asks if residents want a new amendment to the Maine Constitution that declares a “right to food” for Mainers. It asks if residents want the constitution to declare “that all individuals have a natural, inherent and unalienable right to grow, raise, harvest, produce and consume the food of their own choosing for their own nourishment, sustenance, bodily health and well-being.”
There is also slated to be a question about a $100 million bond issue for improvements to roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure.
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announced the order the questions will appear on the ballots on Thursday. The hydropower corridor will appear first, followed by the bond issue and the right-to-food amendment.
