A long line stretched from one end of Portland City Hall to the other on the final day of in-person absentee voting last week.

Halfway through the line, Chris Sessums had already been waiting for half an hour but said he didn’t mind.

People line up at City Hall before voting Thursday. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

“I’m really excited to see so many people come and participate,” the 58-year-old college administrator said. “It doesn’t bother me. We can only do this every four years.

Maine still has one of the highest voter turnout rates in the country and even boasts the highest voter turnout in the country in 2022, when 61.8% of the population of voting age citizens have voted. The national rate that year was 46.8%.

Participating in the democratic process seems to be ingrained in our nature. And Maine state and local elections officials expect another strong voter turnout Tuesday.

“Traditionally, Maine ranks first in the nation in voter turnout, and I hope we see another strong election,” Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said, citing the high level of voter turnout. interest in postal voting.

In Portland and other communities, election officials say, that can mean waiting in lines or handling extra traffic around polling places. But they say they are prepared and have not encountered any major issues or concerns since early voting began last month, despite strong interest statewide.

Voter turnout is typically measured as a percentage of voting-age citizens, and Maine ranks at or near the top among all states, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, an independent, bipartisan commission whose mission is to help to improve the administration of elections. But calculated based on the number of active registered voters, Maine’s 2022 turnout rate was even higher — at 73.3%.

Maine’s 2022 results were fueled in part by a high-stakes race for governor featuring incumbent Gov. Janet Mills and former Gov. Paul LePage. This year, the presidential election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is undoubtedly the main factor driving people to the polls.

But elections experts say there are also recurring reasons why Maine is among the states with the highest voter turnout. They include Maine’s history as a state with strong local control and municipal governments, a somewhat more educated voting population than elsewhere, and election laws that make it easier for citizens to vote.

THOUSANDS VOTED ABSENT

City Clerk Ashley Rand said there were lines to vote at City Hall last week. Nearly 37% of registered voters in Portland had requested to vote by mail or voted in person as of Thursday afternoon.

Rand also expects long lines on Election Day and said the city is asking voters to be patient at their polling places.

“We added more poll workers to this election at every polling place than usual, so we are ready,” she said.

As of Friday afternoon, 342,754 absentee ballots had already been returned and accepted statewide, including 155,726 people who voted early in person. That’s about a third of the state’s likely voters. Maine had about 955,285 active registered voters in June, the most recent total available from the secretary of state’s office.

Jaynee Brooks-Robinson carries a stack of absentee ballots while processing at Windham City Hall on October 31. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Interest in voting by mail this fall has been strongest among Democrats, following a trend established in recent election cycles. Of the absentee ballots requested, 42% were requested by Democrats, 27% by Republicans and 27% by unregistered voters. The rest of the requests come from third-party voters, including independent, unlabeled and libertarian Green voters.

There have been no major problems with mail-in ballots, but it’s too late to rely on the mail to deliver ballots on time. Absentee voters who have not yet returned their ballot are advised to do so by placing it in a drop box or hand-delivering it to municipal offices before the election.

Voters can also use the online tracking system to see if their ballot was received and accepted by their municipal clerk. Voters whose ballots have not been returned and accepted by their municipal clerk by Election Day have the opportunity to go to the polls and request that their absentee ballot be canceled and a new ballot given to them. be issued.

WHY IS TURNOUT IN MAINE SO HIGH?

According to Bellows, Maine’s redistricting process has created competitive legislative districts, which could encourage voters to get out and vote. “Voters recognize that their vote really matters and can determine outcomes at every level,” she said.

Election experts also point to factors dating back to Maine’s colonial roots. The other New England states, Vermont and New Hampshire, are not far behind Maine.

Colin Woodard, director of the Nationhood Lab at Salve Regina University and former editor of the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, said Maine’s place at the top of the list of states with high voter turnout is not surprising because the Participation in local government is part of New England’s “cultural DNA.”

It dates back to the early Puritan settlers who sought to establish their communities in a way different from the aristocracy they had left behind in England. They established strong municipal governments that endure to this day. Many Maine communities still operate under a town meeting form of government where residents make important decisions by making their case and raising their hands.

“Today, if you look at Maine and other New England states, they often have home rule, very strong municipal governments and weak counties because of the importance of democratic and immediate participation to politics,” said Woodard, author of “The American Nations“, a book on regionalism in the United States.

“It’s been important since the 1600s,” he said. “You put all of that together, and it creates a kind of powerful participatory, civic momentum that you’re supposed to be engaged in the politics of your city and that government is the vehicle through which citizens have power. »

This philosophy translated into policies that made it easier for residents to participate in elections, such as same-day voter registration.

Stephanie O’Brien and Madelyn Connor, right, read sample ballots while waiting in line to vote Thursday. Connor, 21, returned home from college (Bentley College in Massachusetts) to vote. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

And unlike other New England states and other parts of the country, Maine fell into a massive economic depression after the Civil War that prevented new settlers from coming to the state during waves of ‘subsequent immigration,’ Woodard said. “It kept the old New England model” in place here.

Michael McDonald, a political science professor at the University of Florida, said states with high voter turnout today tend to be the battleground states that candidates are interested in and where campaign activity push people to the polls.

While Maine as a whole is reliably Democratic, the 2nd Congressional District is a dynamic district that generates national interest and campaign spending and results in statewide publicity. “It’s still seen to some extent as a battleground state, which can motivate individual voters,” McDonald said.

Additionally, states like Maine that offer same-day voter registration tend to have turnout three to four percentage points higher than states that don’t, McDonald said.

MAINE VOTERS FIND THE TIME

That Maine generally has high turnout isn’t surprising to Cheryl Pritchard, a Windham resident who was voting by mail at municipal offices Thursday.

“I think Mainers are very conscientious about this,” Pritchard, 69, said. “They are hard workers and there are a lot of challenges going on.”

A Republican, Pritchard voted Thursday for Harris, a Democrat, in the presidential race. “I don’t always vote Republican. I vote for the person who I think will most improve the Legislature or the country.

Lydia Hill, a 20-year-old student from Windham who is voting for Trump, said it’s especially important for young people to vote.

“A lot of my friends say (voting) is too much work, but I tell them, ‘No.’ It’s important. It’s your right,” she said after picking up an absentee ballot Thursday. “I’m excited to make a difference.”

Windham Town Clerk Linda Morrell said the presidential race has been a big attraction for people voting this year. As of Thursday afternoon, about 30% of the city’s 15,000 registered voters had returned their absentee ballots or voted in person. The number of absentee ballots has already surpassed the final 2020 number, and Morrell expects a busy day Tuesday.

“Windham loves to vote, so we usually have a good turnout every election,” she said.

South Portland City Clerk Jessica Hughes said her city also expects a large turnout, due to a mix of local, state and national issues.

“Some people are passionate about referendums, both nationally and locally,” she said. “Others want their voice to be heard in the presidential election. It’s a mix of reasons (why people vote) but it’s exciting to see them all go to the polls.

Voters waiting in line at Portland City Hall on Thursday cited the presidential election and local elections as the main reasons for going to the polls.

Alyssa Ashby, 25, was preparing to vote for the first time. She said she wanted women’s reproductive rights and the right to abortion to be preserved. She also cares about city council races.

“I made sure I found time this year because there’s so much going on,” she said.

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