AUGUSTA, MAINE – Absentee voting by mail will continue just as it has in prior elections, announced Secretary of State Shenna Bellows today. The US Supreme Court rejected the US Postal Service and Trump Administration’s quest to change the rules for mailed ballots. States including the State of Maine had filed a lawsuit to challenge the Trump Executive Order and US Postal Service rule that would have dramatically limited the ability of clerks to mail ballots to voters. A lower court blocked the rule on constitutional grounds, and the US Supreme Court denied the Trump Administration’s attempt to overturn the lower court.
“This is good news for voters and for democracy. Voters can rest assured that they have all of the same options for absentee voting including receiving and returning their ballot by mail that they have had in every other election,” said Secretary of State Shenna Bellows. “We know that many Mainers – particularly seniors and people with disabilities – appreciate the convenience of voting from home, and we are thrilled that our joint legal efforts with states across the country to protect the right to vote by mail have succeeded.”
Voters can request absentee ballots utilizing the Secretary of State’s online absentee ballot portal, in writing, or by calling their municipal clerk directly. Absentee voting in Maine begins October 5, and voters should start receiving their ballots in the mail in the first week of October. Voters can track the status of their absentee ballot via Maine’s online absentee ballot tracking portal.
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