The November 3rd General Election is approaching as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Casting your ballot from the safety of your home is a great option.

Thursday, October 29, 2020 is the deadline to apply for an advance ballot by mail. No excuse or explanation is necessary.

To be counted, voted absentee ballots must be received by the municipal clerk by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.

There are multiple ways to request a mail-in ballot.

• Contact the municipal clerk in the town or city where you are registered to vote.
• Uniformed Service and Overseas voters will request an absentee ballot directly from the Secretary of State, Division of Elections.
• You can make a telephone request for your own ballot, which will be mailed to the address you provide to the clerk.
• You can request your own ballot electronically using the Secretary of State’s online absentee ballot request service. The approved online form can be found at the following web site:  http://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/Absentee Ballot/index.pl
• You can make a written request by completing an absentee ballot application. You can also obtain a ballot for an immediate family member in this same way. A ballot will be mailed to the voter directly or to an immediate family member making the request. Your municipal clerk can tell you who is considered an immediate family member under the law.

NOTE: Ballots obtained by the voter or an immediate family member do not require witnesses, unless the voter receives assistance from another person in reading or marking the ballot.

Your online request will be submitted to the municipality you have selected and will be processed by your municipal clerk. When ballots become available, your absentee ballot will be delivered by mail to the address you designated.

You will receive a confirmation number with your online request and additional confirmation will be sent to the email address you provided. Upon processing of your request by your municipal clerk, you will send you a follow-up email detailing the status of your request. If you do not receive any confirmation, please contact your municipal clerk. To find your municipal contact information, visit the online listing of Municipal Clerks and Registrars.