AUGUSTA, Maine — On Tuesday, Mainers will vote in primary elections deciding which party candidates will run for three congressional seats as well as 186 of the spots in the state Legislature.
The highest-profile race is in the swing 2nd Congressional District, where state Reps. Austin Theriault and Mike Soboleski are dueling for the right to take on U.S. Rep. Jared Golden in an area that twice voted for former President Donald Trump.
From the State House to school budget referendums, much more will be at stake across Maine today. Here’s what you need to know about how to vote, what’s on the ballot and how to follow results with us at the Bangor Daily News.
Find your polling place.
Polls open between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., depending on the population of your city or town. All polls close at 8 p.m. You can find your polling place on this state website.
You can register to vote at the polls.
Maine has same-day registration, meaning you can bring identification and proof of residency to your polling place and register to vote. The state has an online tool to check your registration status if you don’t know it.
Unenrolled voters can choose which primary to vote in.
Under the semi-open primary law passed by the Democratic-led Legislature in 2021, unenrolled voters can choose whether to vote in either the Republican or Democratic primaries. They can only choose one, although all voters can cast a ballot in local elections.
If you are already registered in a party and want to vote in another party’s primary today, you are out of luck. The deadline for switching parties in time to cast a vote is three weeks before Election Day under Maine law.
You still have time to turn in your absentee ballot.
All absentee ballots are counted as long as they are returned to city or town clerks by 8 p.m. Tuesday.
If you recently mailed your ballot, check the state’s lookup tool to ensure the local clerk received it. If your absentee ballot was not received, you can vote in person and your absentee ballot will be voided.
What do the primary ballots look like?
The most notable Tuesday races are for the state’s two congressional districts as well as a few of the 17 contested legislative elections.
The biggest one is in the 2nd District for the right to face Golden. Theriault has the endorsement of former President Donald Trump and has outraised Soboleski by 10 times, but the underdog’s allies are still optimistic that their candidate can make this a race.
Two relative newcomers — Andrew Piantidosi of Cape Elizabeth and Ron Russell of Kennebunkport — are trying to be the latest Republican to run an uphill race against eight-term U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat from the liberal 1st District.
With independent U.S. Sen. Angus King up for reelection in November, both parties have uncontested primaries to flank him on the ballot. Former Maine Republican Party Chair Demi Kouzounas of Saco and Democrat David Costello of Brunswick will be the nominees, while retired FBI agent Jason Cherry of Unity is running in November as an independent.
In the Legislature, the contested primaries contain some intrigue on both sides of the aisle. Abortion-rights backers are behind Cassie Julia in her challenge against anti-abortion Rep. Bruce White of Waterville. In the Bangor area, Rep. Joe Perry, D-Bangor, faces a progressive challenge from lawyer Zachary Smith, and Rep. David Haggan, R-Hampden, is trying to oust Sen. Peter Lyford, R-Eddington.
What else is on the ballot?
June is when most school districts seek approval for their annual budgets. Some cities and towns are also holding elections for local offices and issues. Bar Harbor and Kennebunk have housing-related questions on the ballot, while the Aroostook County town of Washburn will vote on whether or not to disband its police department.
Here’s how to follow the results.
We will start posting election results after polls close at 8 p.m. Follow our election results page and the main website for coverage. We will be calling the big primary races in concert with our national election partners at Decision Desk HQ.
You can also sign up for my Pocket Politics texting service, where I will share race calls, results and insights first.
