8-A. Filed with the Secretary of State. A nomination petition must be filed in the office of the Secretary of State by 5 p.m. on June September 1st in the election year in which it is to be used.

Sec. 7. 21-A MRSA §358 is enacted to read:

§358.__Petitions or filing fees

A slate of presidential electors must either file a petition under section 354 or pay a filing fee to the Secretary of State for those electors' names to be placed on the ballot.

1.__Petitions.__A slate of presidential electors that does not pay a filing fee to the Secretary of State pursuant to subsection 2 must file a petition with the Secretary of State.

2.__Filing fees.__A slate of presidential electors that does not file a petition with the Secretary of State pursuant to subsection 1 must pay a $2,500 filing fee to the Secretary of State.__The filing fee must be paid no later than December 1st in the year next prior to the year of the presidential preference primary.

Sec. 8. 21-A MRSA §375, as enacted by PL 1985, c. 161, §6, is amended to read:

§375. Nonqualified party presidential and vice-presidential

candidates

1. Candidate for President; death; withdrawal; disqualification. If a candidate for President who has been nominated by petition under section 354, subsection 1, paragraph B, dies, withdraws or becomes disqualified, the nomination of the presidential, vice-presidential and presidential electoral candidates is terminated.

2. Candidate for President or Vice President; death; withdrawal; disqualification. If a candidate for President or Vice President who has been nominated by petition under section 354, subsection 1, paragraph B, subchapter II by a nonqualified party dies, withdraws or becomes disqualified, the vacancy may be filled by a new vice-presidential candidate, if the following conditions are met: