5. A representative of the Maine Town and City Clerks' Association appointed by the Speaker of the House from a list provided by the association;

6. An official of the Maine Democratic Party, appointed by the chair of the party; and

7. An official of the Maine Republican Party, appointed by the chair of the party.

Sec. 3. Chairs. Resolved: That the first-named Senate member is the Senate chair of the commission and the first-named House of Representatives member is the House chair of the commission; and be it further

Sec. 4. Appointments; convening of commission. Resolved: That all appointments must be made no later than 30 days following the effective date of this resolve. The appointing authorities shall notify the Executive Director of the Legislative Council once all appointments have been completed. Within 15 days after appointment of all members, the chairs shall call and convene the first meeting of the commission, which must be no later than August 1, 2005; and be it further

Sec. 5. Duties. Resolved: That the commission shall examine proposals to improve ballot access and address issues regarding elections and the citizen initiative process, including, but not limited to:

1. The institution of an "instant run-off" method of determining the winners of elections, which simulates the ballot counts that would occur if all voters participated in a series of run-off elections and allows a voter to rank candidates according to that voter's preferences;

2. The implementation of "fusion voting," which authorizes cross-endorsement or the practice of multiple parties or political designations nominating the same candidate;

3. Facilitating the formation of minor political parties;

4. The implementation of a vote-by-mail system; and

5. Informing the public about the fiscal implications of proposed citizen initiated legislation; and be it further