Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §365, first ¶, as enacted by PL 1985, c. 161, §6, is amended to read:

The political committee which that has jurisdiction over the choice of a candidate for nomination or a nominee to fill a vacancy under sections 371, 373, 374 374-A, 381 and 382 is as follows.

Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §365, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 1985, c. 161, §6, is amended to read:

1. Municipal committee. Choices for Representative to the Legislature must be made by a municipal committee when a representative district consists of one municipality, by a joint meeting of municipal committees when a representative district consists of 2 or more municipalities or by members of a municipal committee or committees residing within a representative district when the representative district includes a part of a municipality or parts of different municipalities. A person residing within a representative district who is eligible to vote in the appropriate political party's primary election is eligible to vote in the choice of Representative to the Legislature made by a municipal committee or committees or members of a municipal committee or committees with jurisdiction under this section.

SUMMARY

Under current law, municipal political committees choose new candidates to fill vacancies in the office of Representative to the Legislature. This bill requires those committees to allow any voter eligible to vote in that party's primary election to vote in the political committee's election to fill a vacancy. This bill also corrects a cross-reference.