AUGUSTA — A voter initiative to bring a casino to York County has failed to qualify for the November ballot because more than half the signatures on petitions were deemed invalid.
Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap made the announcement last week.
The petition drive for “An Act to Allow Slot Machines or a Casino in York County” began Dec. 1. On Feb. 1, the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions received completed petitions with a total of 91,294 signatures.
Staff at the bureau found 35,518 valid signatures, and 55,776 invalid signatures, according to Dunlap. The petitions are subject to further checking for duplicate signatures.
A minimum of 61,123 valid signatures from registered Maine voters is required in the citizens’ initiative process.
Because of the way it was worded, the casino referendum would have allowed only one person, Las Vegas casino developer Shawn Scott, to run a slot machine facility or slot machine and tables facility.
The campaign’s aggressive signature gathering drive had generated scrutiny, according to The Associated Press. At one point, Horseracing Jobs Fairness, the group behind the campaign, was paying petition circulators between $7 and $10 per signature, according to AP.
A financial report filed in January to the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices lists Miami real estate developer Lisa Scott, who has been identified in other media reports as Shaw Scott’s sister, as the only financial contributor to Horseracing Jobs Fairness. Lisa Scott, who is the principal officer of Horseracing Jobs Fairness, contributed $150,000 to the campaign, according to the report.
According to the January report, the group spent about $134,000, the bulk of which – $117,000 – was given to Olympic Consulting of Lewiston to run the petition campaign and pay field workers. The group also paid the Silver Bullet Group of Cheyenne, Wisconsin, $15,000 for field workers, according to the report.
Lisa Scott and Horseracing Jobs Fairness campaign treasurer Cheryl Timberlake did not respond to phone calls and emails seeking comment.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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