Maine state executive official elections, 2022
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| Maine state executive official elections |
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| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 15, 2022 |
| Primary: June 14, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 |
| 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 2022 Impact of term limits in 2022 State government trifectas and triplexes |
| Other state executive elections |
One state executive office was up for election in Maine in 2022:
Governor
General election candidates
- Janet T. Mills (Incumbent) (Democratic Party) ✔
- Paul LePage (Republican Party)
- Sam Hunkler (Independent)
Democratic primary candidates
- Janet T. Mills (Incumbent) ✔
Did not make the ballot:
Republican primary candidates
Context of the 2022 elections
Party control in Maine
Maine Party Control: 1992-2026
Sixteen 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 | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | 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 | 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
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] Eight states — Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming — have laws requiring individuals provide proof of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. Three states, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi, require a person provide proof of citizenship if their citizenship status cannot be verified by other means.[10] 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.[11][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.[12]
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.[13]
Early voting allows citizens to cast their ballots in person at a polling place before 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. Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire do not offer no-excuse early voting.
Absentee voting
All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Maine. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.[13]
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.[13]
Past elections
2018
The following elections took place in 2018:
See also
| Maine | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21–A, § 341," accessed October 2, 2025
- ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21–A, § 142," accessed October 2, 2025
- ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21–A, § 144," accessed October 2, 2025
- ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21-A § 626," accessed October 2, 2025
- ↑ 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 - ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21–A, § 232," accessed October 2, 2025
- ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21–A, § 121–A," accessed October 2, 2025
- ↑ Maine Department of the Secretary of State, "Maine Voter Registration Application," accessed October 2, 2025
- ↑ 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."
- ↑ Florida's law takes effect on January 1, 2027
- ↑ Maine Secretary of State, "Your Right to Vote in Maine," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ Congress, "H.R.3295 - Help America Vote Act of 2002," accessed September 30, 2025
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Maine Department of the Secretary of State, "Absentee Guide," accessed October 2, 2025
