8. A representative of the Constitution Party of Maine, appointed by the Speaker of the House; and

9. The Secretary of State, or a designee; and be it further

Sec. 3. Chairs. Resolved: That the first-named Senate member is the Senate chair of the commission and the first-named House of Representatives member is the House chair of the commission; and be it further

Sec. 4. Appointments; convening of commission. Resolved: That all appointments must be made no later than 30 days following the effective date of this resolve. The appointing authorities shall notify the Executive Director of the Legislative Council once all appointments have been completed. Within 15 days after appointment of all members, the chairs shall call and convene the first meeting of the commission, which must be no later than August 1, 2005; and be it further

Sec. 5. Duties. Resolved: That the commission shall examine proposals to improve ballot access, including, but not limited to:

1. The institution of an "instant run-off" method of determining the winners of elections, which simulates the ballot counts that would occur if all voters participated in a series of run-off elections and allows a voter to rank candidates according to that voter's preferences;

2. The implementation of "fusion voting," which authorizes cross-endorsement or the practice of multiple parties or political designations nominating the same candidate; and

3. Facilitating the formation of minor political parties; and be it further

Sec. 6. Staff assistance. Resolved: That the Legislative Council shall provide necessary staffing services to the commission; and be it further

Sec. 7. Compensation. Resolved: That the legislative members of the commission are entitled to receive the legislative per diem, as defined in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 3, section 2, and reimbursement for travel and other necessary expenses related to their attendance at authorized meetings of the commission. Public members not otherwise compensated by their employers or other entities that they represent are