Register or confirm your polling place
Mail, third-party, and online registration is due October 13, with online registration due by 5 p.m. In-person registration remains available through the close of polls on Election Day.
Official voter resources
Make your Maine voting plan
Use Maine's official voter services to register, find your polling place, request or track an absentee ballot, learn ranked-choice voting, and confirm your municipality's hours.
First steps
Start with these three actions
Vote absentee in person
No-excuse in-person absentee voting begins October 4 and runs through close of business in your town on October 29. Confirm office hours with your municipal clerk.
Request and track an absentee ballot
October 29 is the ordinary no-excuse request deadline. A completed absentee ballot must reach the municipal clerk by 8 p.m. on November 3, regardless of postmark.
October 13mail, third-party, and online registration deadline
October 4in-person absentee voting begins
October 29no-excuse absentee request deadline
November 3ballot receipt and Election Day
Election timeline
UOCAVA ballot transmission deadline
The Secretary of State identifies this as the deadline to transmit ballots for already pending military and overseas requests.
In-person absentee voting begins
The 30-day no-excuse in-person absentee period begins. Municipal office hours vary.
Mail, third-party, and online registration deadline
Mail or third-party registrations must be received by close of business. Online registration closes at 5 p.m. In-person registration remains open through Election Day.
BMV registration deadline
This is the voter registration deadline through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
No-excuse absentee request and in-person period end
This is the ordinary deadline to request a no-excuse absentee ballot and the end of the no-excuse in-person absentee period. Statutory special-circumstance exceptions can apply after this date.
UOCAVA registration deadline
Covered military and overseas voters may register by mail or electronically through noon on the day before Election Day.
General Election Day and absentee receipt deadline
Opening time varies by municipality. Polls generally close at 8 p.m. Completed absentee ballots must reach the municipal clerk by 8 p.m., regardless of postmark.
Check the current rule: Municipal poll opening times vary. State law generally allows opening from 6 a.m. through 8 a.m.; municipalities under 500 may open as late as 10 a.m. Polls generally close at 8 p.m., with a narrow statutory exception for a municipality under 100 after all registered voters have voted. Confirm your location and hours locally. U.S. Senator uses ranked-choice voting in this general election; Governor does not.
0 confirmed statewide ballot questions
The official November 3 Upcoming Elections page does not list a statewide referendum question as of October 1, 2026. The proposed school sports initiative is excluded because the Secretary of State invalidated the petition and the Maine Supreme Judicial Court affirmed that decision. No statewide question is inferred from proposed wording.
View official ballot-measure information0 statewide judicial election items
Maine judges and justices are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate for seven-year terms. They do not face statewide retention elections. Probate judges are elected by county and are outside this statewide guide.
Read the Maine Judicial Branch overviewUse the State of Maine Voter Guide
The official guide explains registration routes and deadlines, absentee voting, polling-place lookup, voter identification, accessibility, and ranked-choice voting.
Open the State of Maine Voter GuideOfficial voter links
General Election process updateSecretary of State update with October and November 2026 registration, absentee, UOCAVA, and Election Day deadlines.State of Maine Voter GuideOfficial registration, absentee, polling-place, and voting guidance.Absentee votingOfficial request, return, military, overseas, and accessible absentee information.Online absentee ballot requestOfficial no-excuse absentee ballot request service.Absentee ballot statusOfficial absentee ballot request and return tracking service.Voter Information LookupOfficial polling-place and voter information lookup.Ranked-choice voting resourcesOfficial instructions, examples, facts, and tabulation explanations.Polling times lawOfficial Maine statute governing municipal opening times and poll closing.
Dates checked October 1, 2026. Confirm them at the linked official source.