Here’s what’s on the Nov. 7 Maine ballot:

Question 1

An Act to Require Voter Approval of Certain Borrowing by Government-controlled Entities and Utilities and to Provide Voters More Information Regarding That Borrowing.

What it would do:

A CMP-backed initiative appearing on the Maine ballot that attempts to slow the creation of any new utility by subjecting billions in borrowing to yet another vote.

Mainers would have to vote on borrowing more than $1 billion with exceptions for agencies such as the public employee retirement system, Finance Authority of Maine, Maine Turnpike Authority, Department of Transportation, municipalities, counties and several education-related programs. The treasurer would have to disclose principal and interest.

Question 2

An Act to Prohibit Campaign Spending by Foreign Governments and Promote an Anticorruption Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Do you want to ban foreign governments and entities that they own, control, or influence from making campaign contributions or financing communications for or against candidates or ballot questions?

What it would do:

A yes vote would ban foreign governments and companies that are at least 5 percent owned by foreign governments from influencing candidate or referendum elections in Maine and urge Maine’s congressional delegation to support an anti-corruption amendment to the U.S. Constitution. A no vote would reject both of those items.

Under Question 2, both Hydro-Quebec and Versant, the latter of which is owned by a company whose sole shareholder is the Canadian city of Calgary, Alberta, would be silenced in campaigns.

The question has gotten push back from some of Maine’s leading media organizations, who urged a “no” vote.

Question 3

An Act to Create the Pine Tree Power Company, a Nonprofit, Customer-owned Utility.

Do you want to create a new power company governed by an elected board to acquire and operate existing for-profit electricity transmission and distribution facilities in Maine?

What it would do:

A yes vote would replace Central Maine Power Co. and Versant Power with the new Pine Tree Power Co., governed by an elected board first tasked with buying out the utilities and hiring an operator to manage them. A no vote retains the status quo in which CMP and Versant are responsible for electric transmission and distribution in most of Maine.

CMP and Versant say it would cost $13.5 billion to buy them out, but their book values are far lower. The ultimate total will likely be decided by the courts over a period of five to 10 years.

Read our comprehensive coverage of all angles of Question 3

Question 4

An Act Regarding Automotive Right to Repair.

Do you want to require vehicle manufacturers to standardize on-board diagnostic systems and provide remote access to those systems and mechanical data to owners and independent repair facilities?

What it would do:

A yes vote would require automakers to standardize on-board diagnostic systems that are now prevalent in the industry and make information from them and parts needed to fix issues accessible to independent garages and owners. A no vote would retain the status quo.

If voters pass the referendum, which has been endorsed by some of the state’s mechanics, Maine would become the second state in the U.S. after Massachusetts to require automakers to provide independent repair shops and vehicle owners with the telematics they currently give to their dealerships.

Question 5

RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine Regarding the Timing of Judicial Review of the Determination of the Validity of Written Petitions.

Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to change the time period for judicial review of the validity of written petitions from within 100 days from the date of filing to within 100 business days from the date of filing of a written petition in the office of the Secretary of State, with an exception for petitions filed within 30 calendar days before or after a general election?

What it would do:

A yes vote enacts these changes to laws governing how candidates and questions get on the ballot by petition. A no vote rejects them.

Question 5 is a response to workload in the secretary of state’s office, giving them more time to review signatures for Maine referendums. It came after a busy winter in 2022 in which workers had to verify 159,000 signatures while making election preparations, running recounts and doing ranked-choice tallies. Now, they have only 30 days to verify signatures. Read our guide to the proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot here.

Question 6

RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine to Require All Provisions in the Constitution to Be Included in the Official Printing.

Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to require that all of the provisions of the Constitution be included in the official printed copies of the Constitution prepared by the Secretary of State?

What it would do:

A yes vote would restore parts of the Maine Constitution that were taken out of printed copies as part of changes that took effect in 1876, including treaty obligations to tribes. A no vote would continue to leave them out. They are still in legal force.

Section 5, Article X of the Constitution was taken out of circulation by a statewide vote in 1875 and hasn’t appeared in copies since 1876. The section retains legal force and is available on the Legislature’s website, though omitted elsewhere.

With a long history of sovereignty disputes between Maine’s indigenous population and the state government, a “yes” vote is seen as honoring the state’s historical obligations to tribes.

Question 7

RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine to Align the Proceedings for Circulating Written Petitions for People’s Vetoes and Direct Initiatives with Federal Law.

Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to remove a provision requiring a circulator of a citizen’s initiative or people’s veto petition to be a resident of Maine and a registered voter in Maine, requirements that have been ruled unconstitutional in federal court?

What it would do:

A yes vote enacts these changes to laws governing how candidates and questions get on the ballot by petition. A no vote rejects them.

Question 7 looks to align the state with a federal court ruling in 2022 that struck down as unconstitutional Maine’s requirement that signature gatherers trying to get items on the ballot must be Maine residents and voters. Read our guide to the proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot here.

Question 8

RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine to Allow Persons Under Guardianship for Mental Illness to Be Electors.

Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to remove a provision prohibiting a person under guardianship for reasons of mental illness from voting for Governor, Senators and Representatives, which the United States District Court for the District of Maine found violates the United States Constitution and federal law?

What it would do:

A yes vote permits Mainers under guardianship for mental illness to vote. A no vote continues a prohibition on voting that has not been enforced since a 2001 court ruling found it unconstitutional.

Guardianship restricts a person’s ability to make their own decisions. Probate judges decide in Maine whether adults incapacitated by age, disability or mental illness can safely make their own decisions or if they need a guardian to make choices about housing, medications or finances on their behalf.