In-person absentee voting began across Maine on Monday. And roughly 10% of voters have already requested a ballot.
Maine has what's known as "no-excuse" absentee voting, meaning registered voters can vote early either by mail or in-person for any reason. Towns were required under state law to begin offering in-person absentee voting on Monday. Ballots were delivered to municipalities by Friday and some had already started mailing them to voters who requested a ballot.
"Our no-excuse absentee voting period of at least 30 days before Election Day is a big part of both keeping our elections accessible to all voters and why we so often lead the country in voter turnout," Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said in a statement.
More than one-third of Maine voters cast absentee ballots in 2022. As of Friday afternoon, 106,816 of the state's nearly 1 million active voters had requested absentee ballots. By comparison, 78,600 absentee ballots had been requested by this point in the election cycle two years ago when Mainers were voting for governor, Congress and the state Legislature, according to data from the Secretary of State's office.
Maine had the highest voter turnout rate in the country that year and consistently ranks at or near the top nationally in terms of participation during presidential election.
In addition to voting for president, Maine residents will also fill both seats in the U.S. House, one U.S. Senate seat and choose all 186 lawmakers in the state Legislature. The 2nd Congressional District race between incumbent Democratic Rep. Jared Golden and Republican challenger Austin Theriault is garnering attention and money from the national campaigns because it is viewed as a potential swing district in the bigger fight for control of the House.
Voters will also select a state flag, choosing between the current design featuring the state seal on a blue background or a variation on the Pine Tree flag that was the official state flag in the early 1900s. Voters will also decide whether to limit contributions to political action committees, commonly known as "super PACs," that make independent expenditures on candidate campaigns.
Three bond measures are also on the ballot this fall. One proposes $25 million to help finance research, development and commercialization at public and private institutions. A second measure proposes $30 million in state borrowing to design, build and maintain trails for motorized, non-motorized and multiple uses. The third bond measure seeks voter authorization for $10 million in borrowing to restore historic buildings owned by governmental and nonprofit organizations.
Maine Public's Your Vote coverage is made possible through the support of AARP Maine, MEMIC, and the Law Offices of Joe Bornstein.
