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Tuesday is primary election day in Maine. There’s no better way to reinvigorate the democratic spirit in you than to cast a vote for a worthy candidate or against one who didn’t impress. So, make sure you head to the polls.
Voting is simple but important. If you are registered, you just need to show up at your local polling place on Tuesday. Don’t know where it is? The Maine secretary of state’s office has a simple online tool for finding your polling location, which often are city or town halls, schools or other municipal buildings. It wouldn’t hurt to bring identification, though you shouldn’t need it.
Not registered? Bring identification — a photo ID works but so does a piece of mail that proves you live where you say you live — and head to the polls. Maine is one of 22 states that allows you to register on Election Day.
Even if there is a problem with your registration, you still can vote under Maine’s challenged ballot law, so there’s no reason to leave a polling place without having your say. If you make a mistake on a ballot, you can take it to a volunteer at the polling place and ask for another.
Turnout for this primary election is expected to be low, but there are important contests on the ballot. There are Republican primaries in both of Maine’s congressional districts.
In the 2nd District, former race car driver Austin Theriault is running against Mike Soboleski, a former actor and Marine Corps veteran, to challenge U.S. Rep. Jared Golden in November. Both Soboleski and Theriault are first-term state representatives.
In the 1st District, Army veteran and former defense contractor Ron Russell and Andrew Piantidosi, a substitute teacher who worked in cybersecurity, are on the ballot. One of them will run against U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree in November.
This year, Maine began semi-open primaries. That means unenrolled voters can vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary.
There are also more than a dozen legislative primaries this year.
In many communities, there are also local races and referendums on the ballot. Some communities are also voting on school budgets and school construction projects.
With so many questions to be decided on June 11, there are many reasons to cast a ballot. In fact, some of your friends and neighbors have likely already had their say through absentee ballots and early voting.
So, make sure your voice is heard, too, by turning in your absentee ballot or heading to the polls on Tuesday.
