Starting July 10, 2023, LD 1690 will expand voting access by creating an ongoing absentee voter list to streamline the process of receiving mail ballots for all elections. This bill will allow every voter the opportunity to sign up for the ongoing absentee mailing list, beginning with the Nov. 2025 election.

An Act Regarding Ongoing Absentee Voting and Tracking of Absentee Ballots (LD 1690) will create an ongoing absentee voter list, allowing any voter to sign up just one time to receive mail ballots for all elections going forward. Learn more about the legislation.

A growing number of Mainers are choosing to vote absentee, with 2022 absentee requests surpassing 2018 numbers. Currently in Maine, any voter may request an absentee ballot, but they must do so every time they wish to vote absentee creating a burden for voters.

Most recently, RepresentUs worked with a coalition of partners in 2019 to pass Automatic Voter Registration in Maine. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many jurisdictions to shift to Vote by Mail and polling indicates that Mainers feel comfortable and secure voting by mail.

With Maine’s track record as a laboratory for democracy reform and with the Maine legislature recently passing a partial ongoing absentee voter list, momentum is on our side to make this policy a feature for all Maine voters.

RepresentUs is working with the Mainers for Modern Elections coalition that includes partners like the League of Women Voters of Maine, Maine Voices, Maine Conservation Voters, ACLU of Maine, AARP of Maine, Maine AFL-CIO, Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition, and others to make permanent absentee voting a reality in Maine.