Secretary Dunlap announces ballot order of referendum questions

**AUGUSTA** - The ballot order of the five citizens' initiative questions that will appear on the Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016 Referendum Election ballot is now finalized, Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap announced Monday.

The order of these citizens' initiative questions on the ballot was determined by a random drawing Monday morning, which was open to the public. Below is the order of the initiatives, as they will appear on the ballot:

**QUESTION 1: An Act To Legalize Marijuana.** "Do you want to allow the possession and use of marijuana under state law by persons who are at least 21 years of age, and allow the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, testing, and sale of marijuana and marijuana products subject to state regulation, taxation and local ordinance?"

**QUESTION 2: An Act To Establish The Fund to Advance Public Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education.** "Do you want to add a 3% tax on individual Maine taxable income above $200,000 to create a state fund that would provide direct support for student learning in kindergarten through 12th grade public education?"

**QUESTION 3: An Act to Require Background Checks for Gun Sales.** "Do you want to require background checks prior to the sale or transfer of firearms between individuals not licensed as firearms dealers, with failure to do so punishable by law, and with some exceptions for family members, hunting, self-defense, lawful competitions, and shooting range activity?"

**QUESTION 4: An Act to Raise the Minimum Wage.** "Do you want to raise the minimum hourly wage of $7.50 to $9 in 2017, with annual $1 increases up to $12 in 2020, and annual cost-of-living increases thereafter; and do you want to raise the direct wage for service workers who receive tips from half the minimum wage to $5 in 2017, with annual $1 increases until it reaches the adjusted minimum wage?"

**QUESTION 5: An Act To Establish Ranked-Choice Voting.** "Do you want to allow voters to rank their choices of candidates in elections for U.S. Senate, Congress, Governor, State Senate, and State Representative, and to have ballots counted at the state level in multiple rounds in which last-place candidates are eliminated until a candidate wins by majority?"

The full text of each proposed bill is available for viewing on the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions' Citizens' Initiatives webpage at http://maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/citizens/index.html , along with proponent information. Per Maine law, bond issues must appear after the citizens' initiatives on the ballot. One bond issue will be on the Nov. 8, 2016 ballot:

**An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue To Improve Highways, Bridges and Multimodal Facilities.** "Do you favor a $100,000,000 bond issue for construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation of highways and bridges and for facilities, equipment and property acquisition related to ports, harbors, marine transportation, freight and passenger railroads, aviation, transit and bicycle and pedestrian trails, to be used to match an estimated $137,000,000 in federal and other funds?"

For more information about the November 2016 elections, visit http://maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/index.html . Information on voter registration and locating your polling place can also be found on the Corporations, Elections and Commissions website at http://maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/voter-info/index.html .