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Maine's Secretary Of State Urges Voters To Submit Absentee Ballots As Soon As Possible

Over 485,000 Mainers have received absentee ballots but only 420,000 have returned them to local election officials. Secretary of State Matt Dunlap is urging voters act now.

Dunlap says the number of absentee ballots cast in Maine has already outpaced the 2016 presidential election that drew an overall turnout of about 72 percent. But he says those who haven’t turned in their ballots should take them as soon as possible to local election clerks or to drop boxes in communities that have them.

“The postal service in its own advice said don’t go much beyond seven days if you are using the mail to return your ballot,” he says.

Dunlap says absentee ballots must be in the hands of local election officials by 8 p.m. Election Day.

Journalist Mal Leary spearheads Maine Public's news coverage of politics and government and is based at the State House.