AUGUSTA, Maine — On Thursday, the Maine Secretary of State's Office certified the petition to opt-out of the vaccine law that was passed in May.
In a release from campaign manager for Mainers for Health and Parental Rights (MHPR), Cara Sacks, the MHPR says that Secretary of State says the vote to repeal the mandated vaccine law will be Question 1 on the March ballot.
The release says that those who backed the people's veto collected over 93,000 total signatures from voters in 456 Maine towns.
The government-mandated vaccine bill (LD798) was ultimately passed in the Maine Legislature by one vote.
According to the release, the bill would eliminate religious and philosophical exemptions and would apply to preschool, K-12 students in public, private, parochial and online schools. The bill also applied to higher education, along with daycare and healthcare employees.
"The days of Big Pharma dictating policy in Maine are numbered. It’s clear that Mainers won't stand for government-mandated vaccines. We are pleased with the Secretary of State’s certification of our petition and look forward to continuing our grassroots efforts to educate Maine voters about the problems with this incredibly punitive and overreaching law. We are confident that Maine voters will vote yes to reject Big Pharma and restore medical freedom," said Sacks.
A statement from Maine Families For Vaccines says, “We appreciate the professionalism shown by the Secretary of State and the staff at the Bureau of Elections during the certification process. Now, all attention turns to the campaign,” said Dr. Laura Blaisdell, a pediatrician and founding member of Maine Families for Vaccines. “We are confident that Maine voters will reject this attempt to leave schools vulnerable to diseases like polio, measles, and whooping cough.''