Maine

For municipalities with a population of 500 or more, the polls must open between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. 

For municipalities with a population of less than 500, the polls must open between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. The municipal officers of each municipality shall determine the time of opening the polls within these limits.   

All polling places close at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, except in municipalities with a population of less than 100, which may choose to close the polls after all registered voters have voted.

oters can determine their proper polling place by checking the “Maine Voter Information Lookup Service” web page (http://www.maine.gov/portal/government/edemocracy/voter_lookup.php).   

Absentee in-person voting is available at the municipal clerk’s office.

How to Check Your Registration: Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote at the following link: Am I Registered?.

You are eligible to vote in Maine if you:

• Are a U.S. citizen
• Are a resident of Maine
• Are at least 18 years old by Election Day

Voters must establish and maintain a voting residence in the municipality to be eligible to vote. People who are incarcerated for any reason can always vote in Maine.

You are not eligible to vote in Maine if:

• A judge has specifically ruled that you are not able to vote.

You may preregister to vote in Maine

• At the age 16

You must be at least 18 years of age to vote, except that in primary elections you may vote if you are 17 but will be 18 by the general election

Maine voters can register to vote by filling out a voter registration card at their local town office or city hall, through any Motor Vehicle branch office, in most state and federal social service agencies, or at voter registration drives.  

Voting Registration Forms are available online in PDF or Word format:

• A Fillable PDF is available at the following link: https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/pdf/voterregcard20.pdf  
• A Microsoft Word version is available by clicking here: https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/votercard.doc   

In Maine, voters must establish their “voting residence” which refers to a location where a person physically resides and the intent of the person to make the location his or her home. In determining a voter’s residence, the registrar may consider several factors, including a direct statement of intention by the voter; the location of any dwelling currently occupied by the voter; the voter’s mailing address; the address at which a motor vehicle owned by the voter is registered; the receipt of public benefits based upon residency; and other factors. 

If You Want to Vote Absentee, requests may be made:

• In-Person
• By Mail
• Phone
• Online

Absentee Ballots may be returned:

• In-Person
• By Mail

Maine Presidential Primary

Ballot Request:

• Received by Sat Mar 2, 2024

Ballot Return:

• Received by Tue Mar 5, 2024 8:00PM EST

Methods for making absentee ballot requests:

• Voter may contact the municipal clerk in the town or city where you are registered to vote, in person or by phone. Voters may use the following link to locate his or her municipal clerk: https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/munic.html 

• Voters can request their own ballot electronically using the Secretary of State’s online absentee ballot request service. The approved online form can be found at the following web site: http://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/Absentee Ballot/index.pl 

• You can make a written request by completing an absentee ballot application.

After submitting a request, you will likely receive your ballot within 7-10 business days, on average. If you have any concerns about receiving your ballot, contact your municipal clerk directly.

The voter may drop off the absentee ballot at the office of its municipal clerk. For a listing of municipal election officials see the Maine Secretary of State’s website, “Municipal Clerks & Registrars” page (http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/munic.html). 

Absentee ballots must be received by the municipal clerk’s office by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day

If you plan to use the U.S. mail to receive or return your absentee ballot please note the following U.S. Postal Service advisories for mail delivery:

• Request your ballot no later than 15 days prior to Election Day
• Return your ballot no later than 7 days prior to Election Day

Absentee in-person voting is available at least 30 days before the election at the municipal clerk’s office. The deadline for absentee voting in the presence of the clerk, unless special circumstances exist, is the Thursday before the election.

Voter Registration

To register to vote in Maine you should provide one of the following:

• Your Maine Driver’s License Number
• Your Maine ID Number
• Valid US Passport
• Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number
• Public Assistance ID
• Social Security Card
• Valid Student ID from State School
• Certified Copy of US Birth Certificate
• Utility Bill, Bank Statement, Government Check, or Paycheck that Shows your current name and address
• Valid Military ID

Voting In-Person

If you registered to vote in Maine, you may be required to present valid ID if you are voting for the first time or your registration is incomplete. You can use any ID from this list:

• Document showing Proof of Address
• Current and Valid Photo ID

Generally, identification is only required for registration. If a first-time voter chooses to do same-day registration as the date of voting, then he or she must provide proof of identity and residency.

The following documents are acceptable proof of identification for the purposes of registering to vote:

• Government document or credential with photo ID (i.e. driver’s license, State ID, valid U.S. Passport, military ID)
• Government ID document/credential without photo (i.e. certified birth certificate or signed Social Security card)
• An official document that shows 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
• Verified unique identifier (Maine driver’s license number or last four numbers of Social Security Number)

If a voter cannot prove identity and residency, their name will still be included in the list of registered voters, but the voter will only be permitted to cast a provisional (challenged) ballot.

If a voter has moved within the same municipality, the voter should notify the registrar to change the address on the voter registration list and in the central voter registration system. If a voter has moved to a different municipality, the voter should re-register with the registrar of his or her new municipality. 

If the voter fails to notify the registrar before Election Day, then next steps depend on where the voter moved.

• If the voter moved within the same district or moved to a different district but within the same municipality: The voter should go to the appropriate polling place associated with his or her new address. To determine the relevant polling place, see the “Maine Voter Information Lookup Service” web page (http://www.maine.gov/portal/government/edemocracy/voter_lookup.php). If the voter registration list still lists the voter’s old address, the voter will need to ask the municipal registrar to change the address on the voter registration list and in the central voter registration system on Election Day. 

If the voter moved to a different municipality: The voter will need to re-register to vote in person with the registrar of his or her new municipality on Election Day by showing proof of identity and residency.

Voting Military

Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form (“FPCA”). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Voting Overseas

U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

First-time voters who wish to register to vote, need to complete the “Federal Post Application” which is available at https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/fedpostcardapp.pdf    

The completed Federal Post Application can be submitted in one of three ways:

• by email to UOCAVA.CEC@maine.gov, 
• by fax to 1-877-443-1302, or 
• by mail to: 

Bureau of Corporations, Elections, and Commissions

Elections Division

101 State House Station

Augusta, ME 04333-0101

To request an absentee ballot, fill out the Federal Post Card Application or submit online request at https://apps.web.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/AbsenteeBallot/index.pl 

Uniformed Service and Overseas (UOCAVA) voters should register and enroll using the last residence address where they lived in Maine immediately before leaving the United States.  In the event the requested absentee ballot does not arrive, please contact the Elections Division at 1-888-VOTESME (1-888-868-3763) or UOCAVA.CEC@maine.gov.

Depending on the method you chose for ballot delivery, the ballot will be mailed to the address provided or can be accessed through State’s online service.

The deadline to submit your voter registration application (FPCA) or request an absentee ballot is 5 p.m. on the day before Election Day.

A criminal conviction does not affect your eligibility to vote in Maine. You have the right to vote in an election even if you are still incarcerated.