A coalition of independent auto repair shop owners, employees and others have begun collecting signatures for a statewide referendum, with the goal of putting it on next year's ballot.
The proposal would require automakers to make wireless repair and diagnostic information available to independent shops in Maine. Only car manufacturers and dealerships have access to data collected by the wireless technology that is in most new vehicles today.
That means many consumers need to take their cars to a dealership to diagnose and fix a problem, leaving independent shops out of the loop, said Tim Winkeler, president of VIP Tires and Service in Maine.
"We believe that's not pro-consumer, and we believe that could potentially not just be extremely inconvenient for the driving public but could potentially really cause prices to go way, way up if there's not competition," he said.
Maine's Secretary of State has certified the petition, a spokeswoman for the office said Monday.
The "Right to Repair" Coalition needs to collect roughly 70,000 signatures by mid-January to qualify for next year's November ballot.
The initiative is similar to one that Massachusetts voters approved two years ago. Automakers have challenged the law in federal court and are now waging an expensive and long legal battle in attempt to block it.
"I'm not going to lie, I think we're just going to recreate what we've done in Massachusetts," Tommy Hickey, executive director of the Right to Repair Coalition. "It's obviously not just a Massachusetts issue. We feel that every car owner should have their own information and be able to share that repair information with an independent repair or dealership of their choice."
Right to repair is a national movement, but Hickey said only Maine is pursuing a ballot initiative for next year.
