As a college student living away from home, you can choose to register using either your college address, or your parent or caregiver’s address. Check to see if you are registered to vote. 

If you register using your hometown address and want to vote while away at college, remember to request an absentee ballot at least 30 days before the election. Check with your state election board.

How to register in Maine:

Fill out a Maine Voter Registration Application:

• Online
• Fillable PDF
• Word Document
• Instructions for completing the Maine Voter Registration Application [doc]

Students living in a residence hall should use the name of the specific residence hall as their address.

Example:
Your Name
University of New England
Hall name and room #
11 Beach Hills Rd.
Biddeford, ME 04005

Mail or deliver your completed and signed application directly to the Municipal Clerk or Registrar of Voters in the town where you live to avoid delays in processing.

• Portland
• Biddeford 
• Other municipalities

Registering in Maine as an out-of-state Student

Registering to vote in Maine does not affect your:

FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID

Where you register to vote will not affect federal financial aid such as Pell Grants, Perkins or Stafford loans, or your dependency status for FAFSA.

STATUS AS A DEPENDENT ON YOUR PARENT’S TAXES

Being registered to vote at a different address from your parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes.

TUITION STATUS

Being deemed out-of-state for tuition purposes does not prevent you from choosing to register to vote in your campus community.

WILL REGISTERING TO VOTE IN MAINE AFFECT MY DRIVER’S LICENSE OR CAR REGISTRATION?

Maybe. Registering to vote in Maine may have consequences for your driver’s license or car registration. If you drive a car in Maine, you are required to obtain a Maine driver’s license within thirty days of establishing residency in the state. If you are a resident of Maine and own a vehicle in the state, state law also requires you to register that vehicle in Maine.

More information available at the Campus Vote Project.

Deadline

In Maine you can register any time leading up to an election, including election day.

Re-register

If you have already registered to vote, you only need to re-register if you move, change your name, wish to change political party affiliations, or if your signature has changed.

CAST YOUR BALLOT

Absentee

Any registered voter may cast an absentee ballot instead of voting in person at a voting place on Election Day.

IN MAINE

Ballots must be returned to the municipal clerk no later than 8:00 pm on Election Day. You can request an absentee ballot:

• Online through the Secretary of State’s Office.
• Call your local City or Town Hall:
  • Portland: (207) 874-8677
  • Biddeford: (207) 284-9307

OUTSIDE MAINE

The rules change from state to state. Make sure you know yours if not registering to vote in Maine! To learn more about absentee ballots in other states visit USA.gov.

Vote in person

• Portland: Find your polling place.
• Biddeford All voting on Election Day, regardless of ward, will take place at the Tiger Gym at Biddeford High School on Maplewood Avenue.
• Other Maine communities

WHAT DO I NEED TO BRING?

• If you’ve voted in Maine before, you don’t need to provide ID to vote.
• If you’re a first-time voter who registered by mail, you may need to show one of these documents to vote if you didn’t provide one when you registered: Maine driver’s license, Maine state ID card, or a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or government document that shows your name and address .
• Voters without ID: If you don’t have ID or proof of residence, you can cast a challenged ballot. You may be asked to provide ID after the election for your ballot to count.

Right Here!

Search the Library website for access to thousands of full-text newspapers, books, articles, documentaries and more. Look through Evaluating Sources section of this website for advice on how to spot fake news. 

Ballotpedia.org

Ballotpedia is the online encyclopedia of American politics and elections; providing accurate and objective information about politics at all levels of government.

League of Women Voters Maine

A nonpartisan political membership organization, presenting “fair and unbiased” voter education material. Find ballot information, ranked choice voting information, voter hotline, and VOTE 411 Toolkit.

MediaBias/Fact Check

Comprehensive media bias resource; currently 3200+ media sources listed in the database and growing every day.

Open Secrets

Run by the Center for Responsible Politics; non-profit, non-partisan. Also lists where candidates get their money. Dark money is explained in detail.

PolitiFact

Non-profit run by the Poynter Institute

Rock the Vote

Voter information and engagement resources targeted to the under-30 set, but excellent voter/voting info source for all.

State of Maine Election Information

See the names of all candidates running for open seats.

Sunlight Foundation

National, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that uses civic technologies, open data, policy analysis and journalism to make our government and politics more accountable and transparent to all.

TinEye

Reverse image search which tells you whether or not an image was altered.

What’s On Your Ballot?

View what’s on your ballot in upcoming elections, including federal, state and local candidates and questions you’ll be able to vote for.

Bipartisan Policy Center

The Campus Free Expression Project: Six Strategies for Conversing on Campus

Braver Angels: Talking Across the Political Divide

Learn about the perspectives, feelings, and experiences of someone you care about who differs from you politically. Discover common ground.

BridgeUSA

Seeks to engage young people in civic life by promoting constructive dialogue and a solution-oriented political culture.

Heterodox Academy

Hosts a helpful “Intentional Dialogue” guides and other content.

PEN America

See PEN America’s How Students Can Encourage Dialogue on Campus  and How Faculty Can Encourage Dialogue on Campus

Talking Across Differences

Lesson plan from FIRE on having difficult conversations.