Online absentee ballot are now available for Maine voters for the November election."It basically just provides convenience for the voter," Dunlap says. "Maine's Legislature deserves a lot of credit for the way they've crafted the accessibility of Maine's election laws, which is one of the reasons we have typically one of the highest turnouts of any state in the union in an election."
Once they have their ballots, people can vote through the mail or in person at their town hall.
Dunlap says security around online ballot requests isn't a major issue because the ballots themselves are still filed and counted as hard copies. "You're still marking them with a pen, so in terms of everything that's being discussed about the vulnerability of electronic systems, this is not one of the ones that's vulnerable."
In November, Mainers will elect a new governor to succeed Gov. Paul LePage. They'll also elect a U.S. senator, two representatives to Congress, state lawmakers and county officers.
And they'll vote on a referendum question to fund a universal home care program, and $200 million in bonds for infrastructure projects.
