A. Candidates for the office of county charter commission need not verify by oath or affirmation that they are not enrolled in a party.

Sec. 5. 21-A MRSA §601, sub-§2, ¶B, as amended by PL 2001, c. 310, §29, is further amended to read:

B. The ballot must contain the name, without any title, and place of residence of each candidate, arranged alphabetically with the last name first, under the proper office designation. The initial letters of the last names of the candidates must be printed directly beneath each other in a vertical line. The names of candidates for any one office may not be split into more than one column regardless of number. The For the primary election ballot, the name of each candidate may be printed on the ballot in only one space. For the general election ballot, the party or political designation of each candidate must be printed with each candidate's name the name of a candidate nominated by more than one party or political designation must be printed once for each party or political designation. The party or political designation may be abbreviated.

Sec. 6. 21-A MRSA §696, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2001, c. 310, §41, is further amended to read:

4. Determination of choice possible. If a voter marks the voter's ballot in a manner that differs from the instructions at the top of the ballot but in such a manner that it is possible to determine the voter's choice, then the vote for the office or question concerned must be counted. A mark made on or in the voting indicator that differs from the instructions at the top of the ballot but that clearly indicates the voter's choice is not a distinguishing mark. If a voter marks the same name for the same office multiple times with different party or political designation labels, the voter's vote must be counted as if the voter cast one vote for the candidate selected on a ballot space without a party or political designation label.

SUMMARY

This bill authorizes cross-endorsement, which is the practice of multiple parties or political designations nominating the same candidate. It eliminates the current rules requiring enrollment in a political party in order to be a candidate for that party's nomination. It also requires the