MAINE PUBLIC • July 20, 2023
lions of dollars are flowing into this November's referendum campaign over who should operate Maine's electric grid. But all of that political fundraising and spending is heavily tilted toward one side. During the first six months of the year, the Our Power campaign that is asking voters to approve a seismic shift in the way electricity is distributed in Maine received roughly $236,000 in contributions. But the parent companies of Maine's two big electric utilities, Central Maine Power and Versant, contributed more than $15 million — or 65 times as much money — to groups on the opposite side of the issue, according to the latest campaign finance reports.