Maine voters are deadlocked on referendums dealing with election reform and gun safety that will be on next month’s ballot, new polling shows.

Among Maine residents who plan to vote in the November election, 48% support Question 1, which would require voters to show photo identification in order to cast a ballot and make other changes to election laws; 49% of those polled are against the measure while 3% were unsure, according to the polling released Thursday by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

Question 2 asks voters if they want to put in place a new “red flag” law making it easier to confiscate firearms from a person in crisis by allowing family members, in addition to law enforcement, the ability to petition a judge for a temporary removal order. The process wouldn’t require a mental health evaluation as is required under Maine’s current law — a change that supporters say will make the new law easier to use and remove stigmas around mental health.

On that referendum, 38% percent of voters polled said they support Question 2, while 40% were opposed and 22% were unsure.

Both measures were put forward through the citizens’ initiative process that allows supporters to gather signatures to get the questions before voters.

The UNH poll surveyed just under 1,100 Maine voters between Oct. 16-21 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3%.

The poll found that nearly all voters have heard about Question 1 and reported understanding it very or somewhat well. The same could not be said for the red flag proposal. Fifty-nine percent of voters reported having heard “a lot or some” information about Question 2, but 32% said they do not understand the question very well or at all.

Jack Sorensen, a spokesperson for the Yes on Question 2 campaign, said Thursday that the findings don’t reflect the campaign’s experience on the ground.

“In the last week alone, we’ve had conversations with thousands of voters and the overwhelming majority already know how they’re going to vote and have a plan to vote,” Sorensen said. “We know some voters are still making up their minds, but it seems like most people have landed somewhere on this issue.”

Andrew Smith, director of the UNH Survey Center and a professor of political science, said it’s not unusual for voters to feel confused about referendums. Whereas the choice between two candidates can often boil down to Democrat or Republican, referenda aren’t always clearly partisan, can be complicated and can come with ramifications that may not be apparent to the voter, he said.

 “People have to hear a lot of advertising about it and kind of digest that and figure out what is accurate and how it fits with what their priorities are,” Smith said.

Campaign finance reports filed this month showed groups opposing voter ID and supporting a red flag law were better positioned to reach and mobilize voters heading into the election, though more money doesn’t guarantee a victory.

Question 1 was brought forward by conservative activists, including Alex Titcomb, co-founder of The Dinner Table political action committte, and state Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn. Question 2 was initiated by gun safety proponents who began collecting signatures after lawmakers failed to act on a red flag proposal following the 2023 mass shooting in Lewiston.

In addition to requiring photo identification in order to vote, Question 1 makes a number of changes to absentee voting laws that supporters say strengthen election security and are being made to accommodate the photo ID requirement in absentee voting. Critics say the changes will make it harder to absentee vote and are unnecessary.

The changes include a new limit on the number of absentee voting drop boxes per municipality, a prohibition on communities including prepaid postage on absentee ballots and an end to the ability to request an absentee ballot over the phone, among other things. Ongoing absentee voting, which allows voters over age 65 or those with a disability to automatically receive an absentee ballot, would also be eliminated.

Both proposals can be reviewed in full on the Maine secretary of state’s website.