As Maine goes, so goes the nation. (We hope.)

On March 3, 2020, just as news about COVID-19 was beginning to dominate the airwaves, Maine became the first state in the nation to vote directly on vaccine laws.

Maine’s childhood vaccine law eliminated non-medical exemptions for school entry, closing loopholes that threatened community immunity and put children at risk of preventable disease. At the same time, it expanded the number of qualified providers who can grant medical exemptions, ensuring families have fair access to valid exemptions while keeping health decisions in the hands of parents and child health experts.

As legislation, LD 798 passed in 2019 with broad support from parents, physicians, lawmakers, and the governor. When opponents launched a well-funded veto campaign, Maine Families for Vaccines led the No on 1 Campaign to Protect Maine’s Children. Voters delivered a decisive victory for public health, upholding the law with 72.5% support statewide.

The campaign was powered by a coalition of 64 organizations — including the American Medical Association, Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital, the Maine Medical Association, the American Nurses Association of Maine, MaineHealth, InterMed, Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare, the Maine Community Action Association, the Maine Public Health Association, the New Mainers Public Health Initiative, the Maine Council on Aging, Equality Maine, the Maine Council of Churches, and the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.