In Maine’s 2020 election, there are three ways to vote.

Vote Absentee by Mail by Recommended Date of Oct. 26

Request your absentee ballot (before Oct. 29 but we suggest before Oct. 16) by completing an online form here or by calling your Town Clerk. Once received, mark your ballot, place it in its envelope (you MUST sign the back), and return it by mail (suggested date before Oct. 26), hand it to your clerk, or place it in your town’s ballot drop box, if available.

PROS: You can do this safely and easily from home.
CONS: If you are mailing your ballot, you should supply postage and you must allow enough time. Ballots must be received at the Town Office by 8 pm on Election Day, Nov. 3. (Being postmarked on Nov. 3 is not valid so we suggest requesting your ballot no later than Oct. 16 and returning it ASAP.

Vote Absentee in Person (Early Voting) Oct. 5-30

Stop in at your Town Office during open hours to request and fill out an absentee ballot on the spot. You can do this even if you’ve already requested an absentee ballot. You can only vote once.

PROS: You can be sure that the Town Clerk has received your ballot and it will be counted. You can choose the time to stop in and vote.
CONS: Make sure you know the hours that your town office is open to avoid an unnecessary trip.

Vote in Person on Election Day, Nov. 3

Stop in at your local polling place (find it here) between 8 AM and 8 PM and cast your vote in person.

PROS: You can be sure your vote has been received and will be counted.
CONS: If you are concerned about wait times or exposure to the coronavirus, you will be in a public place with other people. Clerks are being careful about how they set up their polling places. That said, they can’t control the behavior of other voters. If there is a storm or you experience a personal event, you may not make it to the polls.

NEW THIS ELECTION! You can track your absentee ballot no matter how it was requested, on the Secretary of State’s website here.

Resources

These websites have additional information if you have further questions, including, but not limited to voter registration, how to complete an absentee ballot, how to mark your ballot in the Ranked Choice Voting races, and more. Visit the League of Women Voters of Maine’s “Elections 2020” page or Suit Up Maine’s “Maine Votes 2020 FAQ”.

Need to Register for the first time or in a new town?

No problem in Maine. You may register to vote at your town office at the same time you pick up your ballot or on Election Day when you vote. If you want to register by mail, the deadline is Oct. 19. Learn more here.

So, are you planning to vote? Or is it already a Done Deal?

Let us know your intent about voting in the November 3rd election by completing this short form. Our volunteers will be calling on folks to get out and vote from now until election day, and so if you let us know your plan, we’ll try to remove you from those lists. But if we do call on you, you can proudly say, “I’ve already voted!”