Election 2024: What Mainers Need to Know About Registering to Vote and Casting Their Ballots This November

With the 2024 presidential election just a few months away, now is the time for Mainers to begin taking steps to ensure they are prepared to cast their ballots on or before November 5.

Maine residents are able to register to vote in person at any point up to and including election day.

Online registration must be completed by 11:59pm on Tuesday, October 15, and registration forms submitted by mail must be received by the same date.

Those registering to vote for the first time must provide “identity documents that show you have established your voting residence in the State of Maine,” such as driver’s license, State ID, valid U.S. Passport, military ID, certified birth certificate, or a signed Social Security card.

A first-time voter may also register with an official document showing their name and address, including a letter of eligibility for public benefits, utility bill, bank statement, government check, or paycheck.

Click Here for More Detailed Information on Voter Registration

For those planning on casting their ballots in-person on election day, this tool can be used to locate one’s local polling place.

Mainers also have the option of voting by submitting an absentee ballot or voting in the presence of a clerk.

As early as thirty days prior to the election — which this year lands on Sunday, October 6 — voters may begin casting their ballots in-person in the presence of a clerk.

Any registered voter may request an absentee in Maine for any reason beginning three months in advance of an election. This means that for the upcoming presidential election, voters can begin requesting ballots in early August.

The deadline to either request an absentee ballot or vote in the presence of a clerk is 5pm on the Thursday prior to election day, which this year falls on October 31.

Absentee ballots must be returned to the appropriate municipal clerk by 8pm on election day in order to be counted.

For those who plan to obtain and return their ballot by mail, the Maine Bureau of Corporations, Elections, and Commissions (CEC) recommends requesting ballots at least fifteen days prior to the election and mailing them back at least a week ahead.

With respect to the upcoming presidential election, Mainers planning to cast their vote in this manner should request their ballots by October 22 and mail them back by October 29, at the latest.

Absentee ballots can be requested online using this portal.

Click Here for More Information on Absentee Voting