Maine Equality of Rights Amendment (2025)

Maine Equality of Rights Amendment
Election date November 4, 2025
Topic Constitutional rights
Status Proposed
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

The Maine Equality of Rights Amendment may appear on the ballot in Maine as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 4, 2025.

The constitutional amendment would add a new section to the state constitution to ensure that the equality of rights can not be denied by the state government based on an individual's "actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, physical or mental disability, ancestry or national origin." It would also give the state legislature the power to enforce those equal rights by legislation.

Text of the measure

Ballot title

The official ballot title is as follows:

“

Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to prohibit the denial or abridgment by the State or any political subdivision of the State of equal rights based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, physical or mental disability, ancestry or national origin of an individual?

”

Full text

The full text of the ballot measure is available here.

Path to the ballot

Amending the Maine Constitution

See also: Amending the Maine Constitution

A two-thirds majority (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session for the Maine State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 101 votes in the Maine House of Representatives and 24 votes in the Maine State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

Legislative Document 260

The following is a timeline of the bill in the Maine State Legislature:

• January 23, 2025: State Rep. Holly Sargent sponsored and introduced the constitutional amendment into the as Legislative Document 260 (LD 260).
• April 17, 2025: The state House approved LD 260 in a vote of 74-69 with eight representatives absent or not voting.
• April 22, 2025: The state Senate approved LD 260 in a vote of 19-13 with three senators absent or not voting.
• April 23, 2025: The state House rejected LD 260 in the second vote of 74-65 with 12 representatives absent or not voting. A two-thirds majority was required to approve the measure. LD 260 was tabled for future consideration.

Maine House of Representatives

Voted on April 17, 2025

Votes Required to Pass:
	Yes	No	NV
Total	74	69	8
Total %	49.0%	45.7%	5.3%
Democratic (D)	72	2	2
Republican (R)	0	67	6
Independent (I)	2	0	0

Maine State Senate

Voted on April 22, 2025

Votes Required to Pass:
	Yes	No	NV
Total	19	13	3
Total %	54.3%	37.1%	8.6%
Democratic (D)	19	0	1
Republican (R)	0	13	2

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Maine

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Maine.

How to vote in Maine

Poll times

In Maine, municipalities with a population of 500 or more open their polls between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., while municipalities with a population of less than 500 open their polls between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. All polls close at 8:00 p.m. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Maine, one must be "a United States citizen, at least 16 years of age to pre-register to vote, and have established a fixed principal home in Maine. To vote in a Referendum or General Election, you must be registered in the community where you reside, and be at least 18 years of age. A 17 year old may vote in a Primary Election, if that person will be 18 by the General Election."

Voters can return completed registration cards in person or by mail to their town office or city hall, any Motor Vehicle branch office, most state & federal social service agencies, or a voter registration drive. There is no deadline for voter registration if completed in person. If registering by mail or online, the deadline is 21 days prior to the election. If registering through a qualified state agency, the deadlines is seven days prior to the election.

When registering for the first time in Maine, voters must provide documents verifying their identity and residence. The following documents are acceptable identification for the purpose of registering to vote:

• Government ID with a photo (i.e. driver’s license, State ID, valid U.S. Passport, military ID, ID card issued by a federally recognized Indian tribe)
• Government ID without photo (i.e. certified birth certificate or signed Social Security card)
• Other official document showing the name and address of voter (i.e. eligibility for public benefits, utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck)
• Student photo ID from a state-approved public or private school or institute of higher education in Maine
• Maine driver’s license number or last four digits of Social Security Number

Automatic registration

On June 19, 2019, Gov. Janet Mills signed an automatic voter registration bill into law that was scheduled for implementation in 2022. The law registers voters through the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Maine has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Governor Janet T. Mills (D) signed L.D. 1126 into law on July 9, 2021, allowing online voter registration in Maine. This legislation went into effect on November 1, 2023.

Same-day registration

Maine allows same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Maine, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Maine does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Maine voter information lookup service allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Maine does not require voters to present identification while voting. If a voter registers to vote on Election Day, he or she must provide identification and proof of residence.

See also

2025 measures

• 2025 ballot measures
• Constitutional rights on the ballot

Maine

• Maine ballot measures
• Maine ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• Legislative Document 260

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