Mainers who want a say in picking Democratic U.S. Senate Graham Platner’s replacement have until this week to act, with participation in the process running through two narrow windows that are closing fast.
The Maine Democratic Party is choosing its nominee through county caucuses next weekend followed by a July 25 state convention in Bangor, where 601 people will make the decision.
The only way to get into the process is by registering — either as a voter or as a delegate candidate — before key deadlines hit. Here’s your guide.
Only Democrats enrolled by June 9 can participate.
That includes voting at a county caucus or even signing a petition for candidates who need to get 500 signatures to stand as a candidate. That shuts out unenrolled voters who could vote in June’s primary under Maine’s semi-open primary law.
The party wants people attending meetings to register online.
Each of Maine’s 16 county parties will hold their caucuses the weekend of July 18-19 to elect delegates to the statewide convention. Some of them have announced times and locations.
Pre-registering online is encouraged and closes at 5 p.m. July 16 through the Maine Democratic Party’s website. Anyone who skips that step can still register in person, starting two hours before their county’s meeting begins.
Running as a delegate requires declaring by July 15.
Democrats who want to be one of the 500 county delegates casting a vote for the nominee must declare by 5 p.m. July 15. There are no floor nominations. Candidates fill out a form on the party’s website with basic contact information and a brief statement of interest.
Voters will pick a full slate — which will get time-consuming.
County chairs decide whether their meeting is in-person or virtual, and the party says it will post each meeting’s exact date, time and location by July 15.
Ballots aren’t ranked-choice. Voters instead choose up to their county’s total number of delegates and alternate seats combined. In Cumberland County, that means picking up to 179 names, covering 149 delegates and 30 alternates. Any ballot with more votes than that is thrown out.
The candidates who draw the most votes fill the delegate seats first; the next-highest vote-getters become alternates. Ties for the final seat are settled by a public drawing.
Whoever gets elected goes to the July 25 convention unpledged, free to back any candidate regardless of who backed them locally. But many of them will be signing up as allies of the candidates.