Election Day · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
How to vote in Maine
The deadlines, early voting, mail ballots and ID rules for Maine, and what happens after the polls close. Every fact links to the Maine Secretary of State or the law it comes from. Rules change, and courts sometimes change them close to an election, so confirm anything you are relying on with the state.
Checked against official sources on October 7.
Key dates
- Register online by
Tuesday, October 13
By 5 p.m. on the 21st day before Election Day, at registertovote.sos.maine.gov.
- Register by mail by
Tuesday, October 13
Received (not postmarked) by the town or city by close of business 21 days before Election Day; same for applications delivered by a third person.
- Register in person by
Tuesday, November 3
In person at your town office or city hall through the close of the polls on Election Day.
- Same-day registration
Yes
Register in person through the close of polls on Election Day. First-time Maine registrants show proof of identity, such as a photo ID, birth certificate, or a Maine driver's license number or last four of the Social Security number.
- Early voting
Sunday, October 4 to Thursday, October 29
Computed: absentee ballots are available at clerks' offices 30 days before the election. Exact availability depends on the municipality.
- How early voting works
No application is needed when you vote absentee in person at the clerk's office. Hours vary by town; see the state's list of municipal office hours.
- Request a mail ballot by
Thursday, October 29
By close of business on the Thursday before the election (the third business day before), unless special circumstances exist. Requests can be made online, by phone or in writing.
- Return your mail ballot by
Tuesday, November 3
Received, not postmarked: by the municipal clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day. The state suggests mailing it back at least 7 days before.
- Election Day polling hours
Polls close at 8 p.m.
All polling places close at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Voting by mail
- Who can vote by mail
Any voter can vote by mail
Any registered voter. Since December 31, 2025, voters may sign up for ongoing absentee status and receive a ballot automatically for every election.
- Drop boxes
Yes
Some municipalities have absentee drop boxes; the state publishes a list of municipal office hours and drop box locations for November 3.
- Ballots arriving after Election Day
Not counted — your ballot must arrive by the deadline
Ballots must reach the municipal clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
ID at the polls
- The rule
No ID needed for most voters
No ID is required to vote. First-time registrants must show proof of identity when registering. News reports (Maine Public, Bangor Daily News) say a November 2025 photo ID initiative, Question 1, was rejected.
- What to bring
You do not need to show ID to vote if you are already registered. If you register on Election Day or for the first time, bring proof of identity such as a driver's license, state ID, passport, birth certificate or Social Security card.
When will we know results in Maine?
How fast results come in depends mostly on when the polls close and when election officials are allowed to start on mail ballots. Totals shown on election night are unofficial until the state certifies them.
- Last polls close
8 p.m. Eastern time
Eastern time; the whole state is in one time zone.
- Mail ballots can be processed from
Tuesday, November 3
Clerks may process absentee ballots on Election Day before polls close, at times posted at least 7 days in advance (21-A M.R.S. § 759(7)).
- Mail ballots can be counted from
Tuesday, November 3
Absentee ballots may not be counted and results may not be viewed or released until after polls close (21-A M.R.S. § 759).
- Counties finish their count by
Thursday, November 5
Maine has no county canvass: each municipal clerk files an attested copy of the municipal return with the Secretary of State within 2 business days after election day (21-A M.R.S. § 711(3)), i.e. 5 p.m. Thursday, November 5.
- State certifies results
Monday, November 23
Computed from 21-A M.R.S. § 722: within 20 days after the election the Secretary of State tabulates the returns and submits a certified copy to the Governor; the tabulation is final on that date except where a recount is pending. Twenty days after November 3 is Monday, November 23. Ranked-choice contests are tabulated under § 723-A.
- Automatic recount
None
There are no mandatory recounts in Maine law.
- Requested recount
A candidate may request a recount. No deposit is required if the margin is 1% or less (statewide or multi-county races) or 1.5% or less (legislative or single-county races); wider margins need a deposit that rises with the margin and is returned if the result is overturned. In ranked-choice races, only one of the top three candidates in the next-to-last round may request one.
The Secretary of State's 2024 notice gave the non-RCV request deadline as 5 business days after the election; for November 3, 2026 that computes to November 10, not confirmed from a 2026 notice.
- Runoff
No runoff; ranked-choice tabulation takes its place in U.S. Senate and House races.
- Ranked-choice voting
Used for U.S. Senate and U.S. House on November 3. Not used for governor or legislative races in the general election, which are decided by plurality under the Maine Constitution.
If no candidate has a majority of first choices, ballots are tabulated in rounds in Augusta after Election Day.
- Votes needed to pass a ballot measure
A simple majority
Simple majority. Me. Const. art. X, § 4: an amendment becomes part of the constitution if a majority of the inhabitants voting on the question are in favor. Citizen-initiated and people's-veto measures are ratified by a majority of the electors voting on them (art. IV, pt. 3).
- New governor takes office
Wednesday, January 6, 2027
Me. Const. art. V, pt. 1, § 2: the governor holds office for 4 years from the first Wednesday after the first Tuesday of January next following the election; the first Tuesday of January 2027 is January 5, so the term begins Wednesday, January 6.
What’s on your ballot
Every contest you will vote on, from Congress to school board, with each candidate’s positions and record and the arguments for and against them.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Maine Secretary of State.