2016 Maine Question 2

Question 2: Citizen Initiative
An Act To Establish The Fund to Advance Public Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education
Results
Choice
Votes %
Yes 383,428 50.63%
No 373,848 49.37%
Valid votes 757,276 98.13%
Invalid or blank votes 14,432 1.87%
Total votes 771,708 100.00%

Maine Question 2, formally An Act to Establish The Fund to Advance Public Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education,[1] was a citizen-initiated referendum question that appeared on the Maine November 8, 2016 statewide ballot. It sought to increase state aid to public schools by instituting a surcharge of 3% on Maine income taxes for those with income above $200,000 a year. As the Maine Legislature declined to enact the proposal as written, it appeared on the ballot along with elections for President of the United States, Maine's two U.S. House seats, the Legislature, and various local elections.

The question was passed by roughly 10,000 votes. The surtax created by the question was repealed as part of state budget negotiations on July 3, 2017 that added $162 million to public education funding from general revenue.

  1. ^ "Maine Citizen's Guide to the Referendum Election" (PDF). State of Maine Office of the Secretary of State. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016.