Maine voters are heading to the polls Tuesday to weigh in on a pair of statewide referendum questions and, in some communities, to decide local races and referendums.

Voters across Maine will consider Question 1, which would require photo identification at the polls, limit the number and location of ballot drop boxes, and make several changes to absentee voting, including an end to ongoing absentee voting and requesting absentee ballots by phone.

Question 2 on the statewide ballot asks voters if they want to approve a so-called red flag law, which would make it easier to confiscate firearms from a person in crisis by allowing family members, not just law enforcement, to petition a judge for a temporary removal order. It would also eliminate the requirement for a mental health evaluation, as is required in Maine’s current yellow flag law.

Voters in some communities will consider local referendum questions and elect candidates to municipal office. In Portland, for example, voters are considering a proposal to raise the minimum wage, while in Scarborough, residents are voting on a $130 million school infrastructure project.

Turnout is expected to be relatively low because it’s an off-year election with no major statewide or national candidate races on the ballot. But requests for, and returned absentee ballots, are still outpacing the last off-year election. More than 121,000 voters had requested absentee ballots, and nearly 77,000 had returned them by Oct. 28. Maine has about 1 million active registered voters.

Follow along for live updates from our reporters on the ground at polling places, campaign headquarters and election watch parties throughout Election Day.

Want more information, like what each referendum question means, who’s on your ballot and news from your city or town? Check out our Election 2025 hub.

---

10:25 a.m.: These voters can cast their ballots and get a biscotti

In the kitchen at the Italian Center in Portland, Bob Lax was filling cannolis with the kind of precision one might use to perfectly fill in the ovals on a ballot.

“It’s a breeze, “ he said as he piped a generous amount of cream inside the shell. The center will sell as many as 500 cannoli today.

Some polling places across the state Tuesday will host bake sales for those who want a sweet treat in addition to an “I Voted” sticker. At the Italian Heritage Center, members spend the days leading up to an election baking biscotti, ricotta pie and anise cookies. They’ll be serving lunch later in the day, but people were lined up for baked goods and ballots when Katie Guzman arrived at 7:30 a.m.

“Can I get a breakfast cannoli?” one voter asked Guzman.

Proceeds benefit the Italian Heritage Center. The volunteers running the sale can only take cash, Guzman said, but the center has an ATM at the ready.

— Megan Gray, staff writer

10:05 a.m.: Portland election workers expect referendums to drive turnout

Dale Kinney had a full box of fresh pens on the table in front of him at Portland’s Italian Heritage Center on Tuesday. His neighbor encouraged him to apply to be an election worker nearly 40 years ago, and now he’s the warden in this district.

Morning traffic was steady, and by 8:30 a.m., 327 voters had cast their ballots. Kinney noticed that some people filled out the state ballot but not the municipal one, an indicator that the referendum questions on voter ID and a red flag law were driving traffic.

“There’s important questions bringing different groups out,” he said.

He’s already thinking about next year, when big elections for Maine’s governor and other offices will likely draw a high turnout. Anyone interested in applying to be an election worker can visit portlandmaine.gov or go to City Hall in person. The position is paid $15 an hour, according to the city website, and training will be provided.

Nine people were working at the Italian Heritage Center on Tuesday, Kinney said, but 2026 will require more staff.

Kinney likes making sure that Election Day goes smoothly for voters.

“It’s a very good, well-thought-out, methodical process,” he said. “Nobody should have any doubts.”

— Megan Gray, staff writer

10 a.m.: Voting rights a key issue for South Portland voters

Katie Vail always votes, no matter what or who is on the ballot. She considers voting a duty, and a right.

That’s why the issue that mattered most to her, as she prepared to vote at the Boys & Girls Club on Broadway in South Portland, was Question 1, which seeks to place restrictions on voting and limits on absentee ballots.

“I’m here to vote no on Question 1. I don’t want absentee voting to be harder,” said Vail, 43, of South Portland, who works as a lawyer. “I can’t always make it here. Sometimes I might be traveling.”

Casey Oakes said he felt strongly about both statewide referendums, including the so-called “red flag” law that would allow for courts to take guns away from someone if their family can show they pose a significant danger to themselves or others. Oakes said he was voting no on Question 1 and yes on the “red flag” law.

“I really think people need the ability and access to vote,” said Oakes, 34, of South Portland, who works for the arts presenter Portland Ovations. “I thought both of those questions had gotten a lot of attention. But I show up here and there’s almost nobody here, compared to last time I voted (during a presidential election).”

Turnout in the first couple of hours Tuesday was lighter than normal for a year with no major statewide or national races, said District 1 ward clerk Phil Gaven. At around 9 a.m., after the Boys & Girls Club had been open a couple of hours, there were only about three people in line to vote and less than a dozen at voting stations.

— Ray Routhier, staff writer

9:45 a.m. Lewiston voters come out for Question 2

Gale Shannon votes in every election, but said Question 2 hits close to home.

Outside the Longley School polling location Tuesday morning, voters talked about the proposed “red flag” law that Question 2 would create.

Shannon said it’s “important to have,” and is especially meaningful for Lewiston residents who have continued to see evidence that such a law was needed in the days and weeks before the Oct. 25, 2023, mass shooting.

Glenn Therrian believes the opposite. He said he says it as an easier way “to start taking guns away from citizens that probably wouldn’t have a say.”

He said he’s worried it could be used in personal disputes, like a falling out with a spouse, rather than instances of serious mental health concerns.

“Who’s the one to really say you don’t deserve your guns today?” he said.

— Andrew Rice, staff writer

9:30 a.m. Some Biddeford voters say city spending is key issue in mayor’s race

In Biddeford, three candidates are vying for the mayor’s seat: incumbent Marty Grohman, City Council president Liam LaFountain and City Councilor Norman Belanger.

Standing outside Biddeford High School, lifelong resident Darcy LaCourse, said she voted for Grohman during the last election. But this year, she cast her ballot for Norman Belanger, an “old-school” candidate she and her husband hope could rein in tax hikes if elected.

The 51-year-old was unsure about the candidate’s odds, as she saw relatively of his few campaign signs, and he did not seem to make as many appearances in public or on social media as his two opponents.

“People like to see that they’re making an effort out here,” she said. “That’s kind of what made me vote for Marty the first time around, because he was out here. But you’ve got to look beyond that.”

Her husband, 59-year-old Dale LaCourse, said the city needs to get its spending under control. And he expressed doubt that either the incumbent mayor or the current city council president, Liam LaFountain, could do so.

“You can’t rubber-stamp absolutely everything that comes across your desk and not expect taxes to go up, and up and up,” he said. “And that’s kind of what’s happening.”

— Daniel Kool, staff writer

9 a.m.: Stronger absentee turnout than 2023, secretary of state says

By Monday, the state had accepted more than 122,000 absentee ballots, according to the Office of the Secretary of State.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said this year’s absentee turnout was higher than in 2023.

“That is a good indicator for strong turnout this year,” she said at the Biddeford polling place.

Last year’s absentee turnout was still higher, but Bellows said presidential elections typically see the highest levels of voter engagement.

All told, Mainers requested more than 145,000 absentee ballots.

— Daniel Kool, staff writer

8:30 a.m.: In Biddeford, Maine secretary of state highlights voter turnout

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said voter turnout appeared strong in Biddeford, where she spoke to residents lined up outside the polling station before it opened at 7 a.m.

“That’s probably because there are 28 candidates on the ballot,” she said, stepping into the gym at Biddeford High School. That includes mayoral, school board and city council seats.

Bellows said the results of both statewide referendum questions on Tuesday’s ballot could be tight, pointing to recent polling that showed Mainers were relatively evenly split on both questions.

“We’ll know tonight whether things are close or not. If it’s less than 1%, then it’s a free recount,” she said.

— Daniel Kool, staff writer

7:30 a.m.: Biddeford candidates organize Election Day food drive

A group of municipal candidates in Biddeford organized a food drive outside the polling place at Biddeford High School.

A tent will be open until 8 p.m. just outside the Tiger Gym to collect donations for the Biddeford Food Pantry.

Local need for food assistance is high during fall and winter when households face higher utility and heating costs, according to organizers. The food pantry is also facing increased pressure as households face a possible lapse in benefits this month because of the government shutdown.

The highest needs at the Biddeford Food Pantry include cereal, peanut butter, rice, pasta, shelf-stable snacks, diapers, paper towels, toilet paper and hygiene products.

— Gillian Graham, staff writer

6:40 a.m.: A busy start in Buxton

With nearly 10 minutes to go before polls in Buxton opened, a dozen residents crowded inside the town hall doors, eager to cast their ballots.

As the clock hit 6 a.m. and poll workers started handing out ballots, a steady stream of cars pulled into the parking lot, their headlights cutting through the pre-dawn darkness.

In Buxton, one of the first towns in the state to open on Election Day, an early rush is never a surprise.

June Curtis stopped by on her way to work as an instructor and was one of the first residents to feed their ballot into the counting machine. She never misses an election.

“I think right now voting is more important than ever before,” she said.

Glen O’Donnell, a 62-year-old construction manager, was finished voting by 6:03 a.m. He always votes and said he was especially motivated this year to weigh in on the state referendum questions.

“I believe in the election system,” he said. “If we don’t have something we like, we have have to vote change it.”

Town Clerk John Myers said more than 900 of Buxton’s 6,400 registered voters cast absentee ballots. He expected double that number to show up at the polls on Tuesday, even though they’re only voting on the statewide referendums.

“It shows people understand the importance of the topics on the ballot and have an opinion,” he said.

— Gillian Graham, staff writer

6 a.m.: Polls open in some communities

Polling places across Maine are beginning to open.

The earliest Election Day voters are cast in communities like Buxton and Kennebunk that open polling places at 6 a.m. Many communities, including Portland and Biddeford, open at 7 a.m.

Towns with 500 residents or more are required to open polling locations by 8 a.m., while towns with fewer than 500 people don’t have to start until 10 a.m.

All voting places close at 8 p.m. Any voters waiting in line when the polls close are still able to cast their ballots and should stay in line.

People who are unsure of their voting location can find it through the Maine Voter Information Lookup Service.

— Gillian Graham, staff writer