Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include fundraising totals from a ballot question committee that did not appear correctly on the Maine Ethics Commission’s website on Wednesday.

Supporters and opponents of a referendum that would require voters to present photo ID and make other changes to elections law have each raised large sums ahead of the November election, thanks in part to out-of-state donors.

For the other referendum question that will appear on the ballot — an effort to create a red flag law that would make it easier to confiscate weapons from a person in crisis — supporters have dramatically outraised opponents thus far.

Voter ID for ME, a political action committee formed in support of that ballot question, has raised more than $550,000 since its formation in early 2024, according to newly filed campaign finance reports, and spent $183,866.

Save Maine Absentee Voting, which opposes the referendum, has raised $604,915 and spent $168,235.

Two other opposing groups include the Maine People’s Alliance, a progressive action group, which has spent $27,158 to oppose the question, and Maine affiliates of the Democratic Governors Association and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which each reported spending $51,409 last month with a Washington, D.C., law firm to oppose the question.

The voting referendum, which was brought forward by the leaders of The Dinner Table, an organization dedicated to conservative causes in Maine, would have the state require a photo ID at the polls or when a voter requests an absentee ballot. Almost all of the money — $500,000 — raised by Voter ID for ME has come from the D.C.-based Republican State Leadership Committee PAC, comprised of Republican state leaders from around the country.

The proposal also would eliminate ongoing absentee voting, which allows a voter to have an absentee ballot mailed to them automatically for each election cycle, and would place limits on the use of and number of absentee ballot drop boxes, among other things.

Proponents say the initiative would boost election security, while opponents say the changes would suppress participation in Maine elections.

As for the proposed red flag law, it would provide an avenue for family and household members, in addition to police, to petition a judge to remove a person’s weapons if they are deemed dangerous to themselves or others. The red flag law would not require a mental health evaluation in order to confiscate the weapons, unlike the current yellow flag law.

Safe Schools, Safe Communities, a political action committee supporting the question, has raised $428,557 so far, and spent $358,135. Its top donor was the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, which has given about $190,000 to the campaign. The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit the Global Impact Social Welfare Fund, gave $75,000 last October and the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, based in Seattle, has given $51,500.

Opponents include Keep Maine Safe, which was formed in April and has raised $6,900 so far, and Protect ME-No Red Flag, which was formed in July and has raised $12,232 so far. Top funders of the groups include Gun Owners of Maine, a group that supports 2nd Amendment rights, and the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine.