Maine

For municipalities with a population of 500 or more, the polls must not open before 6:00 a.m. (ET) and must open no later than 8:00 a.m. (ET). 

For municipalities with a population of less than 500, the polls must not open before 6:00 a.m. (ET) and must open no later than 10:00 a.m. (ET). 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. (ET) 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. 

See below for early voting and absentee voting options.

Voters can determine their proper polling place by checking the Maine Voter Information Lookup Service web page.  

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
• Live in the precinct in which you want to vote
• at 17 years of age provided you will be 18 by the next general election.

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 fillable PDF format here.

Maine voters can register to vote online through the voter registration portal available here.  

In Maine, voters must establish their “voting residence” which refers to a location where a person physically resides and intends to make the location their 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.  

Maine voters who are unhoused or living in a shelter are entitled to register to vote in the Maine municipality where they currently reside, even if they have a non-traditional address such as a park bench or other physical location. They may submit a physical description of their place of residence, under oath, to their municipal clerk in lieu of other residency documentation. Unhoused voters are not required to present a mailing address in order to register to vote.

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

Methods for making absentee ballot requests:

• Voters may contact the municipal clerk in the town or city where they are registered to vote, in person or by phone. Voters may locate their municipal clerk here. 
• Voters may request their own ballot electronically using the Secretary of State’s online absentee ballot request service. The approved online form can be found here. 
• Voters may make a written request by completing an absentee ballot application.
• Accessible absentee ballots are available here. 

After submitting a request, voters will likely receive their ballot within 7-10 business days, on average. Voters with concerns about receiving their ballot should contact your municipal clerk directly.

Voters who will be at least 65 years of age by the next election or who self-identify as having a disability may apply for ongoing absentee voter status. A voter who qualifies will automatically receive an absentee ballot for each statewide election, municipal election and any other election for which the voter is eligible to vote and need not submit a request for each election unless the voter moves. Voters must return the completed application to their municipal clerk. 

The PDF application for ongoing absentee status is found here. Word applications also may be downloaded from this page. 

Voters may drop off the absentee ballot at the office of their municipal clerk. For some municipalities, the voter may place the ballot in a drop box. In other municipalities the voter will hand the absentee ballot to an election worker. For a  listing of municipal election officials locations see here. 

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

Voters who plan to use the U.S. mail to receive or return their absentee ballot please note the following U.S. Postal Service advisories for mail delivery:

• Ballot should be requested no later than 15 days prior to Election Day
• Ballot should be returned no later than 7 days prior to Election Day

In-person Absentee 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 5:00 p.m. (ET) 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 on Election Day at the polls, then they must provide proof of identity and residency at that time.

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

• Current and valid government document or credential with photo ID (i.e. driver’s license, State ID, U.S. Passport, military ID, ID issued by federally recognized tribe)
• 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 does not have proof of identification for any of the above reasons, the voter should contact their local registrar or clerk. For a listing of municipal election officials see here.

Once registered to vote in Maine, voters are not required to present identification to vote by mail or in person.

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 their 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 their new address. To determine the relevant polling place, see the “Maine Voter Information Lookup Service” here. 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 their 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 here.   

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

• by email as a scanned attachment 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 here: Maine (fvap.gov) 

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. (ET) on the day before Election Day.

A criminal conviction does not affect a person’s eligibility to vote in the state of Maine.

Incarcerated voters may vote from jail via absentee ballot in the state of Maine. If the voter is incarcerated in a correctional facility or in a county jail, the voter is entitled to register for absentee voting in the Maine municipality where the voter previously had a fixed and principal home prior to incarceration (to which they intend to return).  Incarcerated persons with no prior Maine residence may not cast a ballot in a Maine election. They should check with their state of residence to determine whether they are eligible to vote there.