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Tuesday is primary election day in Maine and there are myriad reasons to vote. Here’s a good one: Democracy isn’t a spectator sport. It requires participation from voters. You help decide who represents you in the state Legislature, Congress and the Blaine House. You have a say in who sits on town councils and school boards.
If you did not vote already in Maine’s early voting process and you’re an eligible voter, you need to head to the polls on Tuesday. You can find your polling place and even see a sample ballot using the secretary of state’s voter information lookup service. If you haven’t returned your absentee ballot, be sure to get it to your town office by 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
If you’re not registered to vote yet, Maine allows you to register up to and on Election Day. You’ll need to provide proof of residency, so bring identification — a photo ID works but so does an official piece of mail like a utility bill that proves you live where you say you live — when you go to the polls.
Even if there is a problem with your registration, you still can vote under Maine’s challenged ballot law, so there’s no reason to leave a polling place without having your say. If you make a mistake on a ballot, you can take it to a volunteer at the polling place and ask for another.
Maine began semi-open primaries two years ago. This is the first year they will be used in the race for governor. That means unenrolled voters can vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary.
Any election is an opportunity, if not responsibility, for people to get civically engaged. This election features several prominent choices that have statewide and even national implications.
Maine’s race for U.S. Senate has gained a lot of national attention as Democrats hope to gain seats in the Republican-controlled chamber to challenge President Donald Trump. Graham Platner, an oyster farmer with no political experience, burst onto the scene last fall and quickly gained support, although his campaign has been dogged by his troubling past behavior and comments. Still, he is expected to win the Democratic Party nomination to challenge Sen. Susan Collins in November. Gov. Janet Mills, who suspended her campaign in April, remains on the ballot, along with David Costello, a long-time state and federal government employee.
There are four Democrats seeking the nomination in the state’s 2nd Congressional District, a race thrown open by Rep. Jared Golden’s unexpected announcement last fall that he would not seek re-election. The Democrats are state Sen. Joe Baldacci, State Auditor Matt Dunlap, social worker Paige Loud and former U.S. House of Representatives chief of staff Jordan Wood. The winner will face former Gov. Paul LePage, the Republican nominee.
In the state’s 1st Congressional District, sales consultant Joshua Pietrowicz and veteran and former defense contractor Ronald Russell are vying for the Republican nomination to run against Democrat Chellie Pingree in the fall.
The race to succeed Gov. Mills is especially crowded. Seven Republicans are on the primary ballot. They are: health care CEO Jonathan Bush, former State Department official Bobby Charles, real estate CEO David Jones, former state Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason, University of Maine System trustee Owen McCarthy, former fitness CEO Ben Midgley and former selectman Robert Wessels.
The five Democrats running for governor are Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, former clean energy executive Angus King III, former director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future Hannah Pingree and former Maine CDC director Nirav Shah.
In many communities, there are also local races and referendums on the ballot. Some communities are also voting on school budgets and school construction projects.
Many of the state elections are likely to go to ranked-choice runoffs. The secretary of state’s office estimates that it could take up to two weeks to run all the RCV tabulations to determine the winners of Tuesday’s election.
This delay does not mean the system is rigged or plagued by fraud. Instead, ranked-choice voting, approved twice by Mainers, requires patience.
With so many questions to be decided on June 9, there are many reasons to cast a ballot. In fact, some of your friends and neighbors have likely already had their say through absentee ballots and early voting.
So, make sure your voice is heard, too, by turning in your absentee ballot or heading to the polls on Tuesday.
