In-person, no-excuse absentee voting is underway in Maine
AUGUSTA, MAINE – Secretary of State Shenna Bellows today traveled to Brunswick Town Hall to mark the start of in-person, no-excuse absentee voting in Maine today.
“Maine is always a national leader in voter turnout, and we saw record turnout in the June primary. In person absentee voting – Maine’s version of early voting – is part of the special sauce that makes voting convenient to the citizenry and drives up turnout,” said Secretary Bellows. “Anyone can vote early for any reason starting today until October 29, and there are lots of ways to vote absentee – in person, by mail or utilizing a secure ballot drop box.”
This week, voters who are not able to make it to the polls on Election Day or who simply wish to avoid the crowds can begin casting absentee ballots, either in-person at their local town hall or by mailing back their signed and sealed ballot or dropping it in a local secure ballot box. As of Friday, October 2, more than 70,000 Mainers had requested an absentee ballot. Absentee ballot reports are posted on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the Secretary of State’s website.
Brunswick Town Clerk Fran Smith joined Secretary Bellows to talk about the tasks and challenges that face local election officials this election cycle and why Mainers can expect business as usual for the November 3 General Election.
“This is a busy but exciting time for our office, as I know it is for towns across the state,” said Brunswick Town Clerk Fran Smith. “Our local staff, as well as volunteers on Election Day, are so incredibly vital to ensuring everything runs smoothly right up through the counting of the ballots after the polls close on Election Day.”
As absentee voting gets underway, Secretary Bellows urged voters to make a plan to ensure their ballots are returned by close of polls on Election Day. In Maine, only those ballots received by close of polls are counted, regardless of postmark. Maine offers an online absentee ballot tracking service for voters to track the status of their absentee ballot to be sure that the clerk has received and accepted the ballot. If a voter’s ballot has not been received by Election Day, voters may go in person to the polls on November 3 to request that the missing absentee ballot be rejected or cancelled and cast a vote in person.
“The election should be business as usual this year because the election laws haven’t changed, but sometimes life gets in the way. We have all unfortunately experienced frustration with the postal service and things from everyday mail to prescriptions not arriving in a timely manner,” Secretary Bellows said. “That’s why it can be so helpful to vote early.”
“It’s exciting – Election Day will be here before we know it, and now is the time to make your voting plan,” she said.
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