November 2 is less than a month away. While most states require voters to register over the next two weeks, Mainers can register on election day. Even so, city clerks in Gorham and Portland warn against doing so.
“If they want to stand in line, they can wait until election day,” said Brenda Caldwell, Gorham’s town clerk. “Last [presidential] election we registered about 1000 people. One third of them were college kids.”
The best place to register is at your town’s municipal center, said Linda Cohen, Portland’s city clerk. The Department of Motor Vehicles and some other government offices also take registration cards, but Cohen discouraged registering anywhere but at town halls this late in the process.
Cohen said, “Now that we’re in October it could cause problems, because the DMV sends the cards to Augusta, and Augusta sends them back to us.”
What you need to do:
To register, you must fill out both sides of a postcard-sized voter registration card and provide proof of your identity and residence in Maine. If your driver’s license or state ID isn’t issued by Maine, a piece of mail addressed to your name at a Maine address can prove your residence. Students who moved to dorms or apartments this semester can vote as Mainers as long as you have lived in your district for 30 days.
If you have any questions, call your town clerk (Gorham: 839-5037) (Portland: 874-8612) or visit the state’s official online voting guide: http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/votguid04.htm
Registration tips:
Fill out a voter registration card. You don’t need to give them your telephone number, e-mail address or ethnicity.
You can register at whatever address you consider “home.” Students: This includes your school address.
New registrants must show their ID or proof of residency under the Help Amerivca Vote Act (HAVA).
Acceptable ID: Driver’s license, state identification card, current and valid photo ID, or passport.
Proof of residency documents include current pay stubs, utility bills, bank statements, etc.
Maine has Election Day Voter Registration, which means you can register at the polls, on Election Day.
If you are an American citizen and are at least 18 years of age, you have the right to vote regardless of race, sex, color, literacy, etc.
If you have trouble at the polls, call the Maine Elections Division at (207)624-7650. Don’t be denied your right to vote.