Election administration in Maine
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Election administration encompasses a state's voting policies and methods of enforcing them. These include voter identification requirements, early and absentee voting provisions, voter list maintenance methods, and more. Each state's voting policies dictate who can vote and under what conditions.
Below, you will find details on the following election administration topics in Maine:
Poll times
- See also: State poll opening and closing times
In Maine, municipalities with a population of 500 or more open their polls between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., while municipalities with a population of less than 500 open their polls between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. All polls close at 8:00 p.m. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[2]
Voter registration
- Check your voter registration status here.
To register to vote in Maine, one must be "a United States citizen, at least 16 years of age to pre-register to vote, and have established a fixed principal home in Maine. To vote in a Referendum or General Election, you must be registered in the community where you reside, and be at least 18 years of age. A 17 year old may vote in a Primary Election, if that person will be 18 by the General Election."[3]
Voters can return completed registration cards in person or by mail to their town office or city hall, any Motor Vehicle branch office, most state & federal social service agencies, or a voter registration drive. There is no deadline for voter registration if completed in person. If registering by mail, the deadline is 21 days prior to the election.[3]
When registering for the first time in Maine, voters must provide documents verifying their identity and residence. The following documents are acceptable identification for the purpose of registering to vote:
- Government ID with a photo (i.e. driver’s license, State ID, valid U.S. Passport, military ID, ID card issued by a federally recognized Indian tribe)
- Government ID without photo (i.e. certified birth certificate or signed Social Security card)
- Other official document showing the name and address of voter (i.e. eligibility for public benefits, utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck)
- Student photo ID from a state-approved public or private school or institute of higher education in Maine
- Maine driver’s license number or last four digits of Social Security Number[3]
Automatic registration
On June 19, 2019, Gov. Janet Mills signed an automatic voter registration bill into law that was scheduled for implementation in 2022. The law registers voters through the Department of Motor Vehicles.[4]
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Maine does not permit online voter registration.
Governor Janet T. Mills (D) signed L.D. 126 into law on July 9, 2021, allowing online voter registration in Maine. This legislation went into effect on November 1, 2023.[5]
Same-day registration
Maine allows same-day voter registration.[3][6]
Residency requirements
To register to vote in Maine, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.
Verification of citizenship
Maine does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.
Early and absentee voting policy
Early voting
- See also: Early voting
Maine permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Absentee voting
- See also: Absentee voting
All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Maine. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.[7]
To vote absentee, an application must be received by election officials no earlier than three months prior to the election and no later than the third business day before the election. A returned absentee ballot must then be received by election officials by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.[7]
Returning absentee ballots
Absentee ballots must be received by the municipal clerk by 8:00 p.m. on election day. An absentee ballot can be returned by someone other than the voter, as long as the person is not a candidate or a member of a candidate’s immediate family.[8]
Signature requirements and cure provisions
Maine does not have a cure provision, or a law providing for a process where election officials follow up with voters whose absentee ballots contain a signature discrepancy or lack the requisite signatures. Voters must sign their absentee ballot. The signature on the absentee ballot envelope is compared with the signature of the voter on the absentee ballot application. If the signatures do not match, the vote does not count.[8]
Voter identification requirements
- See also: Voter ID in Maine
- See also: Voter identification laws by state
Maine does not require voters to present identification while voting. If a voter registers to vote on Election Day, he or she must provide identification and proof of residence.[9]
Background
As of August 2023, 34 states required voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Of these states, 23 required voters to present identification containing a photograph, and 11 accepted other forms of identification. The remaining 16 states did not require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Valid forms of identification differ by state. Commonly accepted forms include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.[10][11]
Provisional ballot rules
Voters in Maine are given provisional ballots, or ballots requiring additional steps or information before they can be counted, if a voter’s eligibility to vote is challenged.[12]
"All challenged ballots are initially counted in the same manner as regular ballots. No further determination is made on the challenge unless a recount occurs and it is determined that the challenged ballot could affect the outcome of the election. Therefore, all challenged ballots cast in districts where no recounts occur will have been counted. If one of the candidates in an election or one side of a referendum question, requests a recount and there are enough challenged ballots to affect the outcome of the election, then the challenged ballots in that district will be segregated, and the basis for each challenge may be determined by the appropriate authority designated by statute or by state or federal constitution.," according to the secretary of state’s website.[12]
Was your provisional ballot counted?
According to the secretary of state’s website, ""All challenged ballots are initially counted in the same manner as regular ballots. ..."[12] Voters may contact the local municipal clerk or registrar with questions about the status of their provisional ballot.
Local election officials
Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool. |
Primary election type
- See also: Primary elections in Maine
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Maine utilizes a closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.[13][14][15][16]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Time off work for voting
Ballotpedia did not find a law specifying whether voters must be given time off from work to vote in this state. Nolo.com notes that states without such state laws may have administrative regulations or local ordinances pertaining to time off for voting and suggests calling your local board of elections or state labor department for more information.[17]
If you know of a relevant policy in this state, please email us. As of 2020, 28 states had laws requiring employers to provide time off for voting under certain conditions.
Voting rules for people convicted of a felony
- See also: Voting rights for convicted felons
In Maine, people convicted of a felony who are incarcerated retain their right to vote. These individuals may cast a vote while incarcerated for the municipality they resided in prior to their incarceration.
Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[13]
Voter list maintenance
All states have rules under which they maintain voter rolls—or, check and remove certain names from their lists of registered voters. Most states are subject to the parameters set by The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).[18] The NVRA requires states to make efforts to remove deceased individuals and individuals who have become ineligible due to a change of address. It prohibits removing registrants from voter lists within 90 days of a federal election due to change of address unless a registrant has requested to be removed, or from removing people from voter lists solely because they have not voted. The NVRA says that states may remove names from their registration lists under certain other circumstances and that their methods for removing names must be uniform and nondiscriminatory.[19]
When names can be removed from the voter list
Maine law authorizes election officials to remove the names of voters from the registered voting list if an individual:[20]
- dies,
- remains in inactive status through two consecutive general elections,
- confirms in writing that they have moved out of their voting jurisdiction, or
- is determined by election officials to have moved out of their voting jurisdiction or registered to vote in a different jurisdiction.
Inactive voter list rules
Maine law states that if a voter fails to respond to a change of address confirmation notice, they are to be listed as an inactive voter. State law authorizes election officials to conduct voter registration maintenance programs. Election officials are to contact voters determined to have moved with a forwardable address confirmation notice. If a voter remains on the inactive voter list through two consecutive general elections, their registration is to be cancelled.[21]
The Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)
According to its website, ERIC is a nonprofit corporation that is governed by a board of member-states. These member states submit voter registration and motor vehicle registration information to ERIC. ERIC uses this information, as well as Social Security death records, to provide member states with detailed reports showing voters who have moved within their state, moved out of their state, died, have duplicate registrations in their state, or are potentially eligible to vote but are not yet registered. ERIC's website describes its funding as follows: "Each state pays annual dues, which are determined by a formula approved by the ERIC membership. The formula includes a state's citizen voting age population as a factor."[22]
By 2022, 33 states and the District of Columbia had joined ERIC. As of August 2023, 26 states and the District of Columbia were members in the ERIC program.[23]
As of August 2023, Maine was participating in the ERIC program.
Post-election auditing
Maine state law does not require post-election audits.[24]
Post-election audits check that election results tallied by a state's voting system match results from paper records, such as paper ballots filled out by voters or the paper records produced by electronic voting machines. Post-election audits are classified into two categories: audits of election results—which include traditional post-election audits as well as risk-limiting audits—and procedural audits.[13][25]
Typically, traditional post-election audits are done by recounting a portion of ballots, either electronically or by hand, and comparing the results to those produced by the state's voting system. In contrast, risk-limiting audits use statistical methods to compare a random sample of votes cast to election results instead of reviewing every ballot. The scope of procedural audits varies by state, but they typically include a systematic review of voting equipment, performance of the voting system, vote totals, duties of election officials and workers, ballot chain of custody, and more.
As of December 2023, 41 states and the District of Columbia required some form of post-election audit. Of these, 36 states and the District of Columbia required traditional post-election audits, three states required risk-limiting post-election audits, and two states required procedural post-election audits.[15]
Election policy ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in Maine.
- Maine Campaign Promises Initiative (2009)
- Maine Voter Confidence Act (2008)
- Maine General Election Ballot Form, Direct Initiative Question (1972)
- Maine Direct Primary Repeal, Referendum Question (1927)
- Maine Direct Primary, Question No. 4 (1911)
- Maine Direct Initiative and People's Veto, Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 2 (1980)
- Maine Uniform Ballot Boxes, Question No. 1 (1912)
- Maine Biddeford Elections, Question No. 5 (1940)
- Maine Representatives Residency Requirements, Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 2 (1981)
- Maine Military Service Voting Clarification, Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 4 (1955)
- Maine Repeal Treasurer Term Limit, Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 1 (1951)
- Maine November General Election, Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 2 (1957)
- Maine House of Representatives Elections, Powers and Apportionment, Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 1 (1963)
- Maine Public Financing of Gubernatorial Campaigns, Question 1 (1989)
- Maine Public Campaign Financing, Question 3 (1996)
- Maine Constitutional Revision Election Amendment (1908)
- Maine Constitutional Amendment Voting, Question No. 2 (1913)
- Maine Division of Towns into Polling Places, Proposed Amendment No. 3 (1917)
- Maine Division of Towns into Polling Places, Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 1 (1920)
- Maine Voting Machines, Amendment No. 1 (1933)
- Maine Voting Machines, Amendment No. 3 (1935)
- Maine Elections for Senate Vacancies, Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 3 (1964)
- Maine Determining Election of Governor, Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 7 (1964)
- Maine Municipality Election Returns to Secretary of State, Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 10 (1964)
- Maine Senate Elections, Powers and Apportionment, Proposed Constitutional Amendment (1966)
- Maine Gubernatorial Term Continuation, Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 2 (1971)
- Maine Legislative Candidate Residency Requirement, Question 13 (1987)
- Maine "Clean Elections" Initiative, Question 1 (2015)
- Maine Question 5, Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative (2016)
- Maine Question 1, Ranked-Choice Voting Delayed Enactment and Automatic Repeal Referendum (June 2018)
- Maine Question 2, Prohibit Foreign Spending in Elections Initiative (2023)
The table below lists bills related to election administration that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Maine. The following information is included for each bill:
- State
- Bill number
- Official name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized alphabetically, first by state and then by bill number. The table displays up to 100 results by default. To view additional results, use the arrows in the upper-right corner of the table. For more information about a particular bill, click the bill number. This will open a separate page with additional information.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job.
Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. But that's just the beginning of what it can do:
- Ballotpedia's election experts provide daily updates on bills and other relevant political developments
- We translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries written in everyday language
- And because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan
The Ballot Bulletin
The Ballot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy. The Ballot Bulletin tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from our Election Administration Legislation Tracker. You'll also be able to track relevant legislation, with links to and summaries of the bills themselves.
Click here to view recent issues and subscribe.
Ballot access
In order to get on the ballot in Maine, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.
There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.
- An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
- An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
- An individual can run as a write-in candidate.
This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Maine. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, see "Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Maine." Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).
Redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Maine
Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Each of Maine's two United States Representatives and 189 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. United States Senators are not elected by districts, but by the states at large. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.[26][27][28][29]
Maine was apportioned two seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, the same number it received after the 2010 census. Click here for more information about redistricting in Maine after the 2020 census.
State process
- See also: State-by-state redistricting procedures
In Maine, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. An advisory commission is also involved in the process. A two-thirds majority is required to approve new district maps, which are subject to veto by the governor.[30]
The composition of the 15-member advisory redistricting commission is as follows:[30]
- The majority and minority leaders of the Maine State Senate each select two commissioners.
- The majority and minority leaders of the Maine House of Representatives each appoint three commissioners.
- The chairs of the state's two major political parties (i.e., the Republican and Democratic parties) each appoint one member.
- The aforementioned 12 commissioners appoint two more members from the public, "with each party's representatives coordinating to choose one commissioner."
- The two public commissioners appoint one additional member.
This commission may make recommendations to the state legislature regarding redistricting, but the legislature is not bound to abide by the commission's recommendations. If the state legislature is unable to pass a redistricting plan, the responsibility falls to the Maine Supreme Court.[30]
State statutes require that congressional districts be compact and contiguous, In addition, state laws require that congressional districts "cross political subdivision lines as few times as possible."[30]
The Maine Constitution mandates that state legislative districts be "compact and contiguous, and that they cross political subdivision lines as few times as possible."[30]
Election administration agencies
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Maine can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Maine Municipal Clerks and Registrars
Maine Secretary of State
- 101 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0101
- Phone: 207-624-7736
- Fax: 207-287-5428
- Website: http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/index.html
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 1335 East West Highway, Suite 4300
- Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
- Telephone: 866-747-1471
Ballotpedia's election coverage
- United States Senate Democratic Party primaries, 2024
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2024
- Democratic Party gubernatorial primaries, 2024
- Democratic Party Secretary of State primaries, 2024
- Democratic Party Attorney General primaries, 2024
- State legislative Democratic primaries, 2024
- United States Senate Republican Party primaries, 2024
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2024
- Republican Party gubernatorial primaries, 2024
- Republican Party Secretary of State primaries, 2024
- Republican Party Attorney General primaries, 2024
- State legislative Republican primaries, 2024
See also
- 2024 election dates and deadlines
- Voting in Maine
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Maine
- Redistricting in Maine
Elections in Maine
- Maine elections, 2023
- Maine elections, 2022
- Maine elections, 2021
- Maine elections, 2020
- Maine elections, 2019
- Maine elections, 2018
- Maine elections, 2017
- Maine elections, 2016
- Maine elections, 2015
- Maine elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ We use the term "absentee/mail-in voting" to describe systems in which requests or applications are required. We use the term "all-mail voting" to denote systems where the ballots themselves are sent automatically to all voters. We use the hyphenate term for absentee voting because some states use “mail voting” (or a similar alternative) to describe what has traditionally been called "absentee voting."
- ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "Title 21-A, Chapter 9, Section 626," accessed April 14, 2023
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Maine Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions, "State of Maine Voter Guide," accessed April 14, 2023
- ↑ WMTW 8, “Maine governor signs automatic voter registration bill into law,” June 21, 2019
- ↑ Maine Legislature, "H.P. 804 - L.D. 1126: An Act To Update the Voter Registration Process," accessed June 8, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Same Day Voter Registration," accessed January 31, 2023
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Maine.gov, "Absentee Voting Guide," April 15, 2023
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Maine Secretary of State, "Absentee Voting Guide," accessed April 15, 2023
- ↑ Maine Secretary of State, "Your Right to Vote in Maine," accessed April 15, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Voter Identification Requirements|Voter ID Laws," March 9, 2023
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Do I need an ID to vote? A look at the laws in all 50 states," October 27, 2014
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Maine Secretary of State, "Voter Information," accessed April 15, 2023
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 NCSL, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 25, 2019 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "ncsl" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "ncsl" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ FairVote, "Primaries," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "research" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Main Legislature Revised Statutes, "§340. Notice of parties of qualified primary voters," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ NOLO, "Taking Time Off to Vote," accessed September 13, 2019
- ↑ The Justice Department notes, "Six States (Idaho, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) are exempt from the NVRA because, on and after August 1, 1994, they either had no voter-registration requirements or had election-day voter registration at polling places with respect to elections for federal office."
- ↑ The United States Department of Justice, "The National Voter Registration Act of 1993," accessed Aprl 4, 2023
- ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "21A.161 and 21A.162A," accessed April 15, 2023
- ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "21A.162A," accessed April 15, 2023
- ↑ ERIC, "Home," accessed April 4, 2023
- ↑ ERIC, "Who We Are," accessed August 7, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Post-Election Audits," accessed September 22, 2022
- ↑ Election Assistance Commission, "Election Audits Across the United States," accessed August 15, 2023
- ↑ All About Redistricting, "Why does it matter?" accessed April 8, 2015
- ↑ Indy Week, "Cracked, stacked and packed: Initial redistricting maps met with skepticism and dismay," June 29, 2011
- ↑ The Atlantic, "How the Voting Rights Act Hurts Democrats and Minorities," June 17, 2013
- ↑ Redrawing the Lines, "The Role of Section 2 - Majority Minority Districts," accessed April 6, 2015
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 30.4 All About Redistricting, "Maine," accessed April 30, 2015
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