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Maine state executive official elections, 2018

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Maine state executive official elections
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Election details
Filing deadline: March 15, 2018
Primary: June 12, 2018
General: November 6, 2018
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Maine
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2018
Impact of term limits in 2018
State government trifectas and triplexes
Other state executive elections

The following state executive office was up for election in Maine in 2018. Click on the following link to learn more about the race:

Governor

Candidates and election results

Governor

General election

General election for Governor of Maine

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Janet T. Mills in round 1 .

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 630,667
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic Primary for Governor of Maine

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Janet T. Mills in round 4 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2

Total votes: 126,139
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican Primary for Governor of Maine

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Shawn Moody in round 1 .

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 94,382
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Context of the 2018 election

Party control in Maine

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Democrats in Maine held a state government trifecta from 2003 to 2010. Republicans held a trifecta from 2011 to 2012.

Maine Party Control: 1992-2025
Fifteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  Two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R R R I I I I I I I I D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D
Senate D D D R R D D D D S S D D D D D D D D R R D D R R R R D D D D D D D
House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Maine utilizes a semi-closed primary process, in which both registered party members and unaffiliated voters may participate. Unaffiliated voters may vote in one partisan primary of their choosing in each election. Affiliated voters must change enrollment at least 15 days prior to the primary to vote in a different party's primary.[1][2][3]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

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.[4]

Registration requirements

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."[5]

Voters can return completed registration cards in person or by mail to their town office or city hall, to any Motor Vehicle branch office, to most state & federal social service agencies, or at 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.[5] If registering through a qualified state agency, the deadlines is seven days prior to the election.[5]

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[5]

Automatic registration

See also: Automatic voter registration

Maine automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles. Eligible voters may opt out of registration.[6]

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

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

Same-day registration

See also: Same-day voter registration

Maine allows same-day voter registration.[7]

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.[8]

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.[9] 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. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. 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, they must provide identification and proof of residence.[10][5]

The federal Help America Vote Act requires that individuals in all 50 states who register to vote by mail and who have not voted previously in a federal election in their state must provide either their driver's license or a paycheck, bank statement, current utility bill, or government document showing their name and address. Individuals voting by mail must include a copy of one of those documents with their absentee/mail-in ballot.[11]

These requirements do not apply if an individual submitted a copy of their identification, their driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when registering to vote.

Early voting

Maine permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website. In most instances, Maine refers to early voting as in-person absentee voting. In-person absentee voting is available at clerk's offices no later than the 30th day before an election and ends the Thursday before the election.[12]

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Maine. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.[12]

Voters may submit an application for a mailed absentee ballot beginning three months before a general election and two months before a primary. An application must be received by the third business day before the election. An absentee ballot received by mail must then be returned to election officials by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.[12]


Impact of term limits

See also: Impact of term limits on state executive elections in 2018

One state executive seat in Maine was up for election in 2018. In the 2018 elections, one official was ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state official was term-limited in 2018:

Republican (1):

Of the 283 state executives offices on the ballot in 2018, 131 of them were represented by incumbents who were subject to term limits. Of the 36 gubernatorial seats up for election in 2018, 13 governors—two Democrats and 11 Republicans—were term-limited and therefore unable to run for re-election. Of the 31 states with term limits that held state executives elections in 2018, some incumbents in 18 of the states were term-limited.

A total of 49 state executive officials were ineligible to run in the 2018 elections because of term limits. This represented 17 percent of the 283 total seats up for election in 2018.[13] Republicans had more than six times as many state executive officials term-limited in 2018 than Democrats. A total of seven Democrats were term-limited, while 40 Republicans were term-limited. The other two term-limited officials were nonpartisan.

Past elections

2016

There were no state executive elections in Maine in 2016.

2014

The following elections took place in 2014.

2012

There were no state executive elections in Maine in 2012.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Maine state executive election 2018. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Maine state executive official elections, 2018 - Google News


State profile

Demographic data for Maine
 MaineU.S.
Total population:1,329,453316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):30,8433,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:95%73.6%
Black/African American:1.1%12.6%
Asian:1.1%5.1%
Native American:0.6%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
Two or more:2%3%
Hispanic/Latino:1.5%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:91.6%86.7%
College graduation rate:29%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$49,331$53,889
Persons below poverty level:16.6%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Maine.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Maine

Maine voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, eight are located in Maine, accounting for 3.88 percent of the total pivot counties.[14]

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Maine had seven Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 4.42 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.

More Maine coverage on Ballotpedia

See also

Maine State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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Maine State Executive Offices
Maine State Legislature
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2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
Maine elections: 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
State of the state addresses
Partisan composition of governors

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21–A, § 341," accessed October 2, 2025
  2. ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21–A, § 142," accessed October 2, 2025
  3. ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21–A, § 144," accessed October 2, 2025
  4. ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21-A § 626," accessed October 2, 2025
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Maine Department of the Secretary of State, "State of Maine Voter Guide," accessed October 2, 2025 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "meguide" defined multiple times with different content
  6. ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21–A, § 232," accessed October 2, 2025
  7. ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21–A, § 121–A," accessed October 2, 2025
  8. ↑ Maine Department of the Secretary of State, "Maine Voter Registration Application," accessed October 2, 2025
  9. ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
  10. ↑ Maine Secretary of State, "Your Right to Vote in Maine," accessed October 6, 2025
  11. ↑ Congress, "H.R.3295 - Help America Vote Act of 2002," accessed September 30, 2025
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Maine Department of the Secretary of State, "Absentee Guide," accessed October 2, 2025
  13. ↑ Some of the 49 state executive officials in 2018 may have resigned before their term ended. These state executive officials were still counted in the total number of term-limited state executives in 2018.
  14. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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