Saturday, January 1, 2022

2022 Candidate forms now available online

AUGUSTA — The candidate forms for the 2022 elections are now available online so candidates can begin collecting signatures on January 1, 2022 for the coming election cycle.

This is the first time petition forms and candidate consent and certification of enrollment/unenrollment have been available online.

“Putting these forms online for candidates to download and print makes our elections process more accessible and convenient for candidates around the state,” said Secretary of State Shenna Bellows. “It is just commonsense these days to have these be more readily available for Mainers considering running for elected office.”

Downloaded petitions have been formatted to print on 8.5 x 14 inch (legal size) paper. Petitions must be printed double-sided on 8.5 x 14 inch paper as the text on petitions printed on smaller paper may be too small for some voters to read easily and petition lines may be too small for voters to keep their information on one line.

Also available online is the 2022 Candidate’s Guide to Ballot Access.

“The candidate guide is a great resource for new and returning candidates alike,” said Secretary Bellows. “Many common questions are addressed in the guide and it includes helpful checklists for candidates to help ensure they’ve taken the necessary steps for their name to appear on the ballot.”

The candidate’s consent and certification of enrollment/unenrollment forms are also available online. Forms are customized for each office to ensure candidates meet the qualifications in law for that specific office. Candidates should ensure they have filled out the correct form before returning it to the Elections Division.

Forms may also be picked up in person from the Secretary of State’s Elections Division (located in the Burton M. Cross State Office Building, 4th floor, 111 Sewall Street, Augusta) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, state and federal holidays excepted.