The Maine Wire’s Guide to Casting Your Ballot

Although the upcoming primary election is scheduled for June 9, Mainers can already start casting their ballots.

Up for a vote this cycle are several critical races, including for the governorship, as well as for one of Maine’s seats in the United States Congress and both of the state’s seats in the United States House of Representatives.

Both Democrats and Republicans will be asked to weigh in on primary races for the gubernatorial election and the senatorial election, but only Republicans will be faced with a choice at the ballot box for the House seat.

Maine citizens who are not yet registered to vote may do so until the close of polls on election day.

Automatic Voter Registration through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles ends for this election on June 2 at midnight, seven days ahead of the primary election.

Anyone who is unsure of their voter registration status may contact their local municipal clerk’s office to check.

Contact information for all Maine municipal clerks and registrars is available here. A statewide online lookup tool is not currently available.

To register, prospective voters must be United States citizens, residents of Maine, and over the age of 16. That said, only Mainers who will be at least 18 on November 3, 2026 are eligible to participate in the upcoming primary election.

First time registrants must show both proof of residency and identity. Government documents such as a driver’s license, passport, birth certificate, or signed Social Security card are all valid ways of doing so.

Mainers may also choose to provide official documentation showing their name and address. For example, prospective voters may bring proof of their eligibility for public benefits, a utility bill, a bank statement, or a paycheck.

Photo IDs from state-approved public or private schools or institutes of higher education are also considered acceptable.

Some may also opt to provide their driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security Number.

Current or former incarceration status, including for felony convictions, does not disqualify Mainers from registering to vote or casting their ballot.

When deciding how to cast their ballots, Maine voters have several options at their disposal.

For those who wish to vote on election day, polls will be open on June 9 until 8pm. Opening times will vary from place to place.

In municipalities with a population of less than 500, polls may open at any point between 6am and 8am. Municipalities with 500 or more residents may open their polls between 6am and 10am.

Residents can consult their town website or reach out to local officials to find out the exact hours of their polling place.

Mainers also have the ability to request an absentee ballot or vote early in-person.

Requests for an absentee ballot must be received by a voter’s municipality by the close of business on Thursday, June 4.

In-person absentee voting will be available to voters through this same date.

Absentee ballots may be requested online here, but they must be completed and received at your local town hall before election day.

Maine voters may also go in person to request an absentee ballot with a paper application.

Once completed, absentee ballots must be returned to your local town hall. Most municipalities have a secure drop box located outside of the building where absentee ballots can be dropped off.

Voters who are enrolled in a political party will be given a ballot for their party’s primary election, but because Maine is a semi-open primary state, unenrolled voters will be given a choice as to which party’s primary they wish to participate in.