FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2010
Contact: Matt Dunlap
(207) 626-8400

Secretary of State Matt Dunlap Publicizes Online Absentee Ballot Request Service
Encourages Citizens to Participate in June Election

AUGUSTA, Maine – With the June 8, 2010 Primary and Special Referendum Election just over a month away, Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap reminds voters that it is easier than ever to become engaged and participate in our elections by using the Online Absentee Ballot Request Service.  This June, parties will pick their gubernatorial nominees and legislative candidates, as well as nominees for a variety of county offices.  Voters will also be deciding the outcome of a People's Veto question and four bond questions.

Maine law makes it easy to cast an absentee ballot.  Citizens don't have to be out-of-town or have any other reason to take advantage of this easy way to vote at a time that is most convenient.  An impressive 217 cities and towns have opted to accept electronic absentee ballot requests from the Online Absentee Ballot Request Service; and, voters from every Maine town can use the service to find all of the information they need to vote by absentee ballot.

?In 2008, the first year Maine law allowed municipalities the option to accept electronic absentee ballot requests, 52 towns and cities chose that option,? stated Secretary Dunlap. ?The service was enthusiastically embraced by voters and election officials alike in those participating municipalities, and now this year, we've seen the number of participating towns more than quadruple from that first election. ?I'm excited that it will now be easier than ever for Maine citizens to obtain and cast their ballots.?

The service provides three ways to request an absentee ballot:

  1. Voters in the 217 participating municipalities may fill out and submit their request forms online;
  2. Any voter, regardless of municipality, may fill out a request form online, print out and sign the completed form, and mail the signed form to their municipal clerk; or,
  3. Any voter, regardless of municipality, may print a blank request form, fill it out by hand and mail the completed form their municipal clerk.

"Whichever method works best for you, they are now all readily accessible on our website." Dunlap concluded, “Our goal is simple: to give Mainers every opportunity to participate in the electoral process.  This expanded service is an effective tool in achieving that goal.”

The Online Absentee Ballot Request Service is available at:  www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/AbsenteeBallot/index.pl

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