Maine state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018

Elections in Maine, 2018

• General election: Nov. 6
• Voter registration deadline: Oct. 16, or Nov. 6 (in-person)
• Early voting: When ballots become available through Nov. 1
• Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6

• Online registration: No
• Same-day registration: Yes
• Voter ID: No
• Poll times: 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

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On the ballot: U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Local judges • State ballot measures • Recalls • Democratic primaries • Republican primaries

2018 Maine State Legislature elections
General	November 6, 2018
Primary	June 12, 2018

2018 elections
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The Democratic primary elections for the seats in the Maine State Senate and Maine House of Representatives were on June 12, 2018. For information about the Republican primary elections in Maine, click here.

The general election was on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was March 15, 2018. In the state Senate, all 35 seats were up for election. In the state House, all 151 seats were up for election.

HIGHLIGHTS

As of November 2017, Maine was one of 18 states under divided government and not one of the 32 states under a state government trifecta. A state government trifecta is a term used to describe a single-party government where one political party holds the governor's office and a majority in both chambers of the state legislature. To find out more about state government trifectas, click here.

Incumbents who did not advance to the general election

Retiring incumbents

Two Democratic state Senate incumbents did not seek re-election.

• Mark Dion (District 28)
• Dawn Hill (District 35)

Fifteen Republican state House incumbents did not seek re-election in 2018:

• Mark Lawrence (District 2)
• George Hogan (District 13)
• Kimberly Monaghan (District 30)
• Scott Hamann (District 32)
• Dillon Bates (District 35)
• Heather Sanborn (District 43)
• Roger Fuller (District 59)
• Jared Golden (District 60)
• Gay Grant (District 83)
• John Spear (District 92)
• Erin Herbig (District 97}
• Thomas Longstaff (District 109)
• Robert Duchesne (District 121)
• Louis Luchini (District 132)
• Walter Kumiega (District 134)

Competitiveness

See also: 2018 primary election competitiveness in state and federal government and Maine state legislative Republican primaries, 2018

There were 52 open seats in 2018, which was higher than the 37 open seats in 2016 but lower than the 59 open seats in 2014. The 23 contested Democratic primaries was up from 17 in 2016 and 12 in 2014. The 9 contested Republican primaries was down from 12 in 2016 and 13 in 2014. The 392 candidates running was down from 398 in 2016 but up from 390 in 2014.

Year	Total seats	Open seats	Total candidates	Democratic primaries contested	Republican primaries contested	Total contested	Incumbents contested in primaries	Total incumbents contested in primaries
2018	186	52	392	23	9	8.6%	3	2.2%
2016	186	37	398	17	12	7.8%	4	2.7%
2014	186	59	390	12	13	6.7%	3	2.4%

Partisan control

The tables below show the partisan breakdowns of the Maine House of Representatives and Maine State Senate as of July 2018:

Maine House of Representatives

Party		As of July 2018
	Democratic Party	74
	Republican Party	70
	Independent	6
	Green Independent	1
	Vacancy	0
Total		151

Maine State Senate

Party		As of July 2018
	Democratic Party	17
	Republican Party	18
Total		35

Battleground races

Ballotpedia identified battleground races in the 2018 Maine state legislative Democratic primary elections. These primaries had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could have led to changes in the membership of the Democratic caucus or had an impact on general election races.

To determine the Maine state legislative Democratic primary battleground races in 2018, Ballotpedia examined races that fit one or more of the three factors listed below:

1. Identified by the media as a notable primary election.
2. One or more of the candidates received a notable endorsement.
3. The primary was known to be competitive based on past results or because it was a rematch of a primary that was competitive in the past.

Media coverage

This section provides an overview of media reactions to the Maine state legislative Democratic primaries. Selected articles are presented as a jumping-off point for deeper exploration of media coverage and as an overview of narratives that have emerged surrounding the elections.

Ranked-choice voting

On November 8, 2016, Maine voters approved the Maine Ranked Choice Voting Initiative, which provided for the use of ranked-choice voting (RCV) in both primary and general elections for United States senators, United States representatives, the governor, state senators, and state representatives. On February 2, 2017, the Maine State Senate voted 24 to 10 to ask the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to review the initiative and issue an advisory opinion on its constitutionality. On May 23, 2017, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court issued a unanimous advisory opinion finding that the law's provisions applying to general elections for state legislators and the governor violated the state constitution.

A repeal bill introduced in light of the advisory opinion failed to clear the legislature, as did a bill providing for partial implementation (for those offices not affected by the advisory opinion) and a bill providing for a constitutional amendment to allow for full implementation. During a special legislative session convened on October 23, 2017, the state legislature approved LD 1646, a bill delaying the implementation of RCV pending voter approval of a constitutional amendment to allow for the use of RCV. The bill set a deadline of December 1, 2021, and provided for the repeal of ranked-choice voting if an amendment was not passed by that date. RCV proponents initiated a veto referendum campaign to overturn the bill. On March 5, 2018, the secretary of state announced that a sufficient number of valid signatures had been submitted to place the referendum on the June 12, 2018, primary election ballot, meaning that LD 1646 would be suspended and ranked-choice voting would be used for federal and state offices in the June 2018 primary election. If LD 1646 is repealed as a result of the veto referendum, RCV will remain in place unless the legislature or the courts take actions to change the statute. If LD 1646 is upheld, the law's provisions as described above will take effect.

On March 29, 2018, Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap (D) announced that he had been notified by Assistant Attorney General Phyllis Gardiner of "legal concerns regarding the implementation of ranked-choice voting" that might prohibit its use in the June 2018 primary election. On April 3, 2018, Kennebec County Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy issued an opinion in Committee for Ranked-Choice Voting v. Dunlap ordering state officials to proceed with the implementation of ranked-choice voting in June. Murphy wrote the following in her opinion: "The uncertainty that halting the ranked-choice voting implementation process at this late date causes is significant. Clarity, stability and public confidence are essential to ensure the legitimacy of Maine elections." In a separate lawsuit, Senate of Maine v. Dunlap, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled unanimously that "ranked-choice voting is the current statutory law of Maine for the primary elections to be held on June 12, 2018." The court noted that its ruling "focuses only on the June 2018 primary election; it does not address any other potential application of ranked-choice voting in Maine," allowing for the possibility of further substantive challenges to the law's validity in future elections.

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.

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.

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."

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. 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

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.

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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

See also

• Maine state legislative Republican primaries, 2018
• Maine House of Representatives elections, 2018
• Maine State Senate elections, 2018
• Maine State Legislature
• Maine elections, 2018