Editor’s note: Our live election night coverage has wrapped up. The live blog remains below.

---

Results rolled in Tuesday night after Mainers made their voices heard in two statewide referendums and a slew of municipal elections.

Polls closed at 8 p.m. across the state, though counting in some races will likely not finish until the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

Mainers voted down Question 1, which would have required photo ID at the polls, limited the number and location of ballot drop boxes, and made several restrictions to absentee voting.

Question 2, meanwhile, was approved, with voters supporting a so-called red flag law, which will make it easier to confiscate firearms from a person in crisis by allowing family members to petition a judge for a temporary removal order. That’s a change from Maine’s current yellow flag law, which allows only law enforcement to make such petitions.

Follow along below for live updates as results come in. You can also see all the results here.

Read our earlier updates from throughout Election Day here.

---

11 p.m.: Proponents, opponents weigh in on passage of red flag law

Giffords, the national gun violence prevention organization led by former Arizona U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, thanked Mainers for voting “yes” on Question 2 and passing a red flag law. Giffords resigned from office in 2012 after suffering a severe brain injuring during an assassination attempt.

“Thank you to the survivors, advocates, mental health providers, members of law enforcement, and more who made this win a reality, especially our partners at the Maine Gun Safety Coalition,” Giffords said in an emailed statement.

“In the wake of the devastating mass shooting that took place in Lewiston two years ago, critical reforms like this one take on an even deeper importance,” she said. “They show the families and communities affected that we won’t turn our backs on the problem and ignore the injustice of that day, when 18 people lost their lives.”

In an emailed statement, the No on 2 Coalition thanked volunteers, supporters and voters, as well as law enforcement officials who had urged “no” votes.

“We’re going to be reviewing all options to keep Mainers safe as we move into the future of the state,” the coalition said.

— Kelley Bouchard, staff writer

10:45 p.m.: Campaigns react to defeat of Question 1

The League of Women Voters of Maine issued a statement Tuesday praising the defeat of Question 1 as a win for voting rights and for Maine voters.

“Question 1 was a voter suppression bill that would have erected unnecessary barriers to voting,” said Jen Lancaster, spokesperson for the state league. “A large number of Maine voters depend on absentee voting to cast their ballot. It’s important to protect this vital service and not dismantle it piece by piece.”

By rejecting Question 1, Maine voters demonstrated that they are confident in the state’s secure electoral process and trust Maine to run smooth, transparent and accessible elections, Lancaster said in an emailed statement.

The league will continue to fight federal and state legislation that attempts to make it harder to vote and support full voter participation by all eligible American citizens, she said.

Voter ID for ME, which promoted Question 1, also issued an emailed statement on its defeat.

“We are incredibly proud of our grassroots effort and the Mainers who made it happen,” said Alex Titcomb and state Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, the leaders of the Voter ID for ME campaign.

They noted that 800 volunteers helped collect over 170,000 signatures to get Voter ID on the ballot. “And it has been volunteers who have worked so hard to get our message out across the state for many months,” they said.

Titcomb and Libby said many Mainers support requiring voter identification at the polls and that the opposition to Question 1 falsely claimed that it would get rid of absentee voting.

— Kelley Bouchard, staff writer

10:30 p.m.: Portland reelects Councilor Pious Ali

Pious Ali won his fourth three-year term on Portland City Council by a wide margin on Tuesday night.

Ali received 15,641 votes, or 60.6%, to Aborne’s 7,878 or 30.5%, according to Portland’s full unofficial results. About 8.9% of ballots cast didn’t include a vote for either man.

Ali, first elected to council in 2016, campaigned on his record of supporting affordable housing initiatives, promoting equity and expanding social services.

Aborne, a process engineer and first-time political candidate, ran on a platform of government reform and fiscal restraint. He argued the city needs to streamline permitting, increase transparency and make it easier to build housing.

— Grace Benninghoff, staff writer

10:20 p.m.: Voter ID, absentee ballot restrictions defeated

Opponents of Question 1, a statewide referendum to require photo identification when casting ballots and to restrict absentee votes, declared victory shortly before 10 p.m. after jumping out to a sizable lead as the ballots were counted.

The Associated Press called the race shortly after.

— Randy Billings, staff writer

10:10 p.m.: Maine voters approve red flag law via Question 2

Maine voters on Tuesday approved a new law to temporarily remove firearms from people in crisis that was put on the ballot after legislative efforts came up short in the wake of the 2023 Lewiston mass shooting.

The Associated Press called the race at about 10 p.m., at which point Question 2 had secured about 59% support, with roughly half of all results counted.

The proposal asked voters to approve a so-called red flag law that would make it easier to confiscate firearms from a person in crisis by allowing family members, in addition to law enforcement, the ability to petition a judge for a temporary removal order. The proposal also would eliminate the requirement for a mental health evaluation, as is necessary in Maine’s current yellow flag law.

— Rachel Ohm, staff writer

10 p.m.: Portland voters choose to raise minimum wage

Voters in Portland approved Question A, a referendum that would raise the city’s minimum wage to $19 an hour by 2028 under a phased schedule, by a wide margin.

Based on the full unofficial results, 16,169 voters, or 62.7%, voted in favor of raising the wage, while 9,156 voters, or 35.5%, voted against the proposal. About 1.9% of voters left the question blank.

Now that Question A has been approved, the minimum wage will rise from $15.50 to $16.75 on Jan. 1, 2026; to $17.75 on Jan. 1, 2027; and to $19 on Jan. 1, 2028, followed by annual cost-of-living adjustments. Once it is raised to $19, Portland’s wage floor will be one of the highest in the country.

— Grace Benninghoff, staff writer

9:45 p.m.: Lewiston votes ‘yes’ on 2 by wide margin

Voters in Lewiston supported the so-called red flag law by a large margin Tuesday, voting 6,027 to 2,866 on Question 2.

Lewiston, the site of a 2023 mass shooting that killed 18 people, featured heavily in Question 2 campaigns, and voters at the polls Tuesday were passionate on both sides of the issue.

Yes on 2 also won handily in Auburn, where the vote was 4,319 to 2,342.

— Andrew Rice, staff writer

9:30 p.m.: Falmouth OKs $13.7 million bond for public works building renovation

Falmouth voters decided Tuesday to borrow $13.7 million to renovate the town’s public works building.

The town charter requires voter approval for spending items over $2 million. Voters approved the project 3,681 to 2,352, according to unofficial election results.

Built in 1969, the public works building has aging plumbing and electrical systems, lacks storage and has tight quarters for staff. The renovation will include a workshop, larger truck bays and bunks for plow drivers who sleep in shifts during snowstorms.

— Sophie Burchell, staff writer

9:15 p.m.: No on Question 1, yes on Question 2 out to early leads

With about 20% of votes counted, early results showed Question 1 — which would add voter ID and make other changes to voting — with only about 40% support statewide, with just under 60% of Maine voters casting “no” votes on the referendum.

Meanwhile, “yes” on Question 2 — to add a red flag gun law — was leading with about 58.4% of the vote, while “no” was around 41.5%.

— Alex McCann, news editor

9:10 p.m.: Falmouth voters keep pesticide ordinance in place

After its many ups and downs, the final vote has been cast: The Falmouth pesticide and fertilizer ordinance is here to stay.

Falmouth cast 3,344 votes to keep the regulations and 2,727 to repeal them.

The ordinance, which was divisive since its early draft in 2022, was brought to the ballot by a citizen petition of Falmouth residents against the ordinance. The petition gained 1,200 signatures needed for a referendum after the Town Council passed the ordinance in May.

— Sophie Burchell, staff writer

9 p.m.: Early Portland results give big leads to $19 minimum wage, Pious Ali

Early results from Portland showed that a referendum to raise the city’s minimum wage to $19 by 2028 was leading by a wide margin.

As of 9 p.m., 11,515 votes, or 63%, had been cast in favor raising the wage, with 6,521, or 35.7%, of votes against.

Meanwhile, in the city’s only contested City Council race, three-term incumbent Pious Ali holds a large lead over challenger Sam Aborne. Ali had 10,904 votes, or 62.2%, to Aborne’s 5,320, or 30.3%.

— Alex McCann, news editor

8:30 p.m.: Bath runs out of ballots during referendum vote

The turnout for Bath’s local elections was steady and larger than expected Tuesday, resulting in the city running out of state referendum ballots. Only one of six local races was contested — for an at-large city council seat.

“We got approval from the Secretary of State to use the leftover absentee ballots that we hadn’t used yet,” said City Clerk Darci Wheeler.

Justin Butterfield, 35, declined to say how he voted on the two state ballot questions.

“I’m a big outdoors person, so I like to see our towns utilized for public enjoyment as opposed to resource extraction like logging,” Butterfield said of issues facing city leadership.

Benjamin Whitlock, 46, said he voted “no” on Question 1 and “yes” on Question 2. He said he felt Question 1 would impose limitations on absentee voting that would be unfair to people with disabilities.

— Paul Bagnall, staff writer 

8:05 p.m.: Supporters of Question 2 gather in Portland to await results

Supporters of Question 2, which would put in place a so-called red flag law making it easier to confiscate weapons from a person in crisis, gathered at Ri Ra in Portland just before the close of the polls to wait for results.

Nacole Palmer, executive director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, the group that worked to get the proposal on the ballot, said she was feeling optimistic.

“We’re not going to know until we know, but I’m feeling excited that hopefully a majority of Mainers have voted for this commonsense measure that will save lives,” Palmer said.

Palmer said volunteers at the polls were getting good feedback throughout the day.

“There were a lot of encouraging conversations,” she said.

Arthur Barnard, whose son Artie Strout was killed in the 2023 Lewiston mass shooting, was also at the watch party. Barnard, who has been a vocal supporter of Question 2, said he has been getting lots of positive feedback since he appeared in an ad to publicly support a red flag law.

“I think there’s quite a bit of support,” Barnard said.

— Rachel Ohm, staff writer

8 p.m.: Polls are now closed

Polls have now closed across Maine, though anyone who’s waiting in line can stay in line and still have their vote counted.

Early results are expected to start rolling in soon.

— Press Herald staff report