The BDN Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom, and does not set policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com.
Yes, we all still have a long slog of campaign ads, over-the-top claims and heated rhetoric to make it through before this election season is over. But believe it or not, we’re closer to that end point than people may realize.
In fact, you can already request your absentee ballot here in Maine. So while Nov. 5 might seem light years away, the process for the 2024 election is actually starting to get going.
As announced by Secretary of State Shenna Bellows recently, Maine voters can now request their absentee ballots online or by contacting their local city or town clerk’s office. The ballots will be available 30 days before election day, and people can request them through Oct. 31.
“Utilizing the online absentee ballot request tool is an easy and secure way for busy Mainers to request an absentee ballot,” Deputy Secretary of State Julie Flynn said in an Aug. 13 press release. “Their town or city clerk will receive the request, and issue the absentee ballot when it is available in early October.”
Here in Maine, we use a system called no-excuse absentee voting in which any voter can request an absentee ballot without needing to give a reason. This is a sensible approach that makes Maine elections more accessible to legal voters, without sacrificing the security that has also been a hallmark of our electoral process here in the Pine Tree State.
While the ballot request can be made electronically, state law prohibits voting over the internet (except in specific cases such as voters with certain disabilities and certain overseas voters like military personnel and their families). Maine has had the good sense to largely stick with paper ballots, meaning there is a physical ballot failsafe to confirm results and maintain electoral integrity. As former Secretary of State Matt Dunlap was rightly fond of saying, “You can’t hack a pen.”
The result here in Maine has been elections that are both secure and accessible, as Bellows highlighted in the recent press release.
“Maine’s no-excuse absentee voting laws are foundational to our safe, secure and accessible elections,” Bellows said. “Voting in person on Election Day is always an option, but many busy Mainers find it more convenient to cast an absentee ballot, and those Mainers can put their request in now for the November election.”
Now that voters can request their ballots, we’ll also echo a different request for voters: Another critical part of Maine’s elections is the work done by people serving at the polls. These poll workers provide an invaluable service to their community, and the secretary of state and clerks across Maine are once again encouraging people to help. People interested in serving should contact their local clerk’s office. Poll workers are volunteers in some communities and paid in others, according to the secretary of state’s office.
“It is vital to our elections that community members step up and serve as poll workers, especially during busy General Elections,” Maine Town and City Clerks Association President and Kennebunkport Town Clerk Tracey O’Roak said in early August. “Town and city clerks will provide poll workers with the training they need to do the tasks assigned to them — and it’s a fun way to see friends and neighbors during election season.”
It’s more than fun — it’s vital to our democratic process. We hope that Mainers of all political leanings will consider working at the polls. And whether they prefer to vote at the polls on election day, vote early in person or vote absentee, we hope that they will continue Maine’s solid history of high voter participation and make sure that their voices are heard in this important election. Between a presidential race, a U.S. Senate race, two U.S. House contests, state legislative races, local races and a slew of state referendums, there are plenty of reasons to request that absentee ballot or vote in person.
