Free Speech For People is proud to endorse and support a citizen initiative to abolish super PAC spending in state elections in Maine. The ballot initiative committee, led by Maine Citizens to End Super PACs and founded by Lawrence Lessig, the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School, collected over 76,000 signatures in support of a referendum to limit annual contributions to super PACs from individuals, businesses, and other PACs to $5,000 in a calendar year.

By definition, super PACs exist by accepting unlimited contributions, which, with certain super PACs, have included multi-million dollar gifts. This initiative seeks to address quid pro quo corruption and the appearance of corruption created by these contributions. A $5,000 contribution limit – which is the same limit for contributions to PACs which Congress enacted during the Watergate era – would effectively eliminate super PACs in Maine elections.

The state of Maine does not currently place any limits on contributions to super PACs. According to recent polling, 72% of Maine residents strongly support limiting contributions to super PACs. The measure has received approval from the Maine Secretary of State to appear on the November 2024 statewide ballot.

If Maine voters pass the ballot measure, it could potentially set up an important new test case to abolish super PACs nationwide. If such a case were to reach the Supreme Court, the Court would have a new opportunity to review the DC Circuit’s 2010 SpeechNow.org v. FEC ruling, which created super PACs. If the ballot measure passes, Free Speech For People will work with the Maine Attorney General’s Office to defend the law in court.

In 2015, Free Speech For People launched the Ending Super PACs project to implement a new legal strategy to challenge the DC Circuit’s ruling that prevents the federal government from limiting contributions to super PACs. With this project, we apply pressure for new review by federal appellate courts and eventually by the Supreme Court of the SpeechNow ruling.