Voting in Maine vs. Germany: Comparing Election Systems and What’s at Stake in 2024

Written By dKay in Maine

As a non-citizen, I’m not allowed to vote in the November 2024 election; however, I can inform myself about the election process and the topics on the ballot. In this post, I’ll examine what’s at stake for Maine’s residents. However, before diving into the items on the ballot, let’s look at the following.

The differences between Elections in the U.S. versus Germany

Every four years, German citizens aged 18 or older vote for the Bundestag (German Federal Parliament). During this election, the “Stimmzettel” (ballot) only allows for two selections: the so-called “Erststimme” (constituency vote), through which the voter selects the direct candidate from within the voter’s electoral district, and the “Zweitstimme” (secondary vote), which lets the voter select a party. The ballot for the “Bundestagswahl” (federal election) contains two items only: on the left side, it includes the list of all applicants for a seat in the “Bundestag” from within the voter’s electoral district, and on the right side, it contains a list with all the parties approved for the election. The list on the right side additionally includes the names of the first five applicants.  

This image shows an example of a German Federal Election ballot, through which a voter selects a candidate and party.

Sample ballot for the German Bundestagswahl (Federal Parliament)

This election process is entirely different from the elections in the U.S., where citizens of the age of 18+ vote for the Presidential Candidate but also, depending on the state, Other Offices, and state-level initiatives, referendums, or amendments. These can include laws, tax measures, or changes to the state constitution. Depending on the state, voters may also vote on local-level initiatives that will impact the town or city they reside in.

While German citizens can vote on local-level initiatives, the process varies heavily from state to state and is not intertwined with the federal election for the Bundestag. Regarding state-level initiatives, German citizens can propose legislation or constitutional amendments directly. If the initiative is validated, it is forwarded to the relevant state authority for verification. Once validated, it’s forwarded to the state parliament, which may then discuss the initiative and, depending on the state’s laws, will either vote on it directly or hold a referendum. Please note that this is how it generally works – the specifics may vary from state to state.

Now, let’s dive into the 2024 election, which will take place on November 5, and more specifically into the following.

The five state-level questions on Maine’s ballots

In addition to local items, Maine voters will have five key questions on the November 2024 ballot:

  • Political Action Committee (PAC) Contribution Limits:
    Question 1 asks voters whether to impose a $5,000 limit on contributions to PACs, i.e., a person may contribute $5,000 to one PAC or can contribute to multiple PACs, as long as the total contributions do not exceed $5,000 for the year. Currently, PACs can accept unlimited funds, making this a significant campaign finance reform effort. PACs have become a major part of campaign finances in the U.S. because they can raise unlimited funds as long as they don’t coordinate directly with a candidate’s campaign.

    Limiting the annual contributions to $5,000 would reduce the influence of wealthy donors and large organizations in elections, potentially allowing political decisions to focus more on broader public interest than those of a few wealthy contributors. If passed, the question is expected to face legal challenges based on free speech grounds, potentially delaying its enforcement.

    Based on the Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) Individual contributions data, between 9/25/2023 and 09/26/2024, 49,811* residents of Maine donated $18,507,193.32 to a PAC through a total of 481,007 contributions. Of those, 319* Mainers made contributions of  more than $5,000 per donor, totaling $3,708,544.71. In other words, 0.64% of Maine’s residents contributed 20% to the PAC donations made.
    * Please note that these numbers might be slightly inflated due to donors using multiple ways of writing their name (e.g., John Doe vs. John A. Doe) or address (e.g., street address vs. PO Box).

  • $25 Million Research & Development Bond:
    Question 2 seeks approval for a bond to support research and commercialization in fields such as life sciences, renewable energy, and aquaculture. From Ballotpedia.com: “This bond issue would authorize $25 million in general obligation bonds to the Maine Technology Institute for research, development, and commercialization of Maine-based public and private institutions in support of technological innovation. Under the measure, the funds must be allocated in the targeted sectors of life sciences and biomedical technology, environmental and renewable energy technology, information technology, advanced technologies for forestry and agriculture, aquaculture and marine technology, composites and advanced materials and precision manufacturing.”

    Since it’s a general obligation bond, Maine’s taxpayers are responsible for repaying the $30.84 million over the bond’s 10-year term. Typically, this repayment is funded through state tax revenues. While there are economic benefits, as the investment may lead to job creation, increased tax revenues, and improvements in industries such as renewable energy and manufacturing as well as attracting private investments, I see one risk. The benefit of job creation could lead to increased demand for housing, which is already sparse in some of Maine’s communities. This increase, in turn, could drive up home values and potentially result in higher property taxes, though the actual impact would depend on local market conditions.

  • $10 Million Bond for Historic Building Preservation:
    Question 3 proposes borrowing to help restore historic buildings owned by government and nonprofit organizations. A 25% local match would be required for the grants. The estimated total cost of the bond is $12.6 million due to the additional $2.06 million in interest, based on an assumed 3.75% interest rate over ten (10) years.

    While the bond helps restore historic buildings, the repayment of the bond (with interest) could increase the state's financial obligations, which might result in higher taxes or reallocation of existing tax revenues to cover the debt. However, the exact impact depends on the state’s current budget and debt load. As of June 30, 2024, the state’s General Obligation (GO) bond debt stands at $454.30 million, an 18.8% decrease from last year’s $559.37 million. Although this signals a reduction in GO bond debt, Maine’s overall tax-supported debt still exceeds $1.5 billion, and no new GO bonds have been approved since 2021, raising questions about the broader financial context.

  • $30 Million Bond for Trail Restoration:
    Question 4 asks voters to approve funding for the design, construction, and maintenance of trails across Maine, benefiting both motorized and non-motorized users. Non-motorized trails would cover things like hiking, biking, or equestrian trails. Motorized trails would include trails used by snowmobiles or ATVs. Multi-use trails would accommodate both motorized and non-motorized activities. It would also require $3 million in matching funds from private or public sources. This bond allows the government to borrow money, with the taxpayers ultimately responsible for repaying the bond, both the principal and interest. Typically, we would repay this through taxes. It’s important to note that the $30 million does not include interest.

    The bond would be paid back over ten (10) years at an assumed interest rate of 3.75%, resulting in approximately $6.18 million in interest costs, totaling $36.18 million. In addition, the project requires $3 million in matching contributions from public or private sources. The long-term benefits associated with this bond imply that investing in trail infrastructure can boost tourism, recreation, and economic activity in rural areas, leading to increased tax revenues from tourism, helping offset some costs.

  • Maine State Flag Redesign:
    Question 5 allows voters to decide whether to revert to a flag design based on Maine's 1901 version, featuring a pine tree and a star, which would replace the current flag displaying the state seal. I wrote a separate post on this topic—feel free to check it out to learn more about the symbolism behind both flags and my thoughts on the subject in “Voting for a flag change.”

    However, one aspect I didn’t cover in that blog is the net impact on taxpayers. The overall financial impact will depend on the scale of flag replacement, marketing, and rebranding efforts. While the costs for flag production and rebranding could be modest compared to other state expenses, they would still be covered by state funds, which come from tax revenue. The potential economic benefits, such as increased merchandising and tourism, could offset some costs but remain speculative.

The two things I was missing while researching each topic on Maine's Referendum Election were (1) information concerning the details on how the government money will spend the money and (2) what the expected Return on Investment (ROI) the state is.

For example, I would like to understand which trails will be restored, their current status, why they need restoration, the exact restoration measures, what the ROI will be, and how the ROI will be measured and reported. Right now, the information accessible, including the Maine Citizen’s Guide to the Referendum Election, does not discuss the details. If these questions came up at work, I would only approve the items if I had clear answers to all my questions.

However, this only reflects my opinion, and every Maine citizen must build their own opinion on whether they want to vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ on the above five questions.

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Sources (links open in new tab)

dKay in Maine
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