2022 Maine Voter’s Guide

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Oct 15, 2023

This November, Mainers will vote for a governor, their congressional

This November, Mainers will vote for a governor, their congressional representatives and pick a new Legislature. To prepare you for this consequential election, we put together a voter's guide with everything you need to know before casting your ballot, including key deadlines, answers to questions you may have and where candidates stand on the issues important to you.

Mainers 18 and older with a fixed and principal home in Maine are allowed to vote in the community they reside in.

New voters or those who have moved from one municipality to another can fill out a voter registration card at your city or town office or any Bureau of Motor Vehicles location. There is no cutoff for in-person registration and you can also register on Election Day at your polling place. You must provide proof of residence at your address, such as an ID or a utility bill.

Can't get to the town office? You can also download a registration card, print and fill it out and then mail it there. It must be received by your local clerk by Oct. 18 if you are registering by mail.

You should be registered if you have ever voted in your municipality and have not since moved. To confirm your registration, call your municipal office. Third-party groups such as Vote.org and Rock the Vote offer reliable online registration lookup tools, but they are also trying to collect phone numbers for outreach efforts. Opt out unless you want more text messages.

Maine allows no-excuse absentee voting. You can request a ballot using the state's online form or making a request at your municipal office. If you submit your request early, you will be among the first to get a ballot after clerks get them around Oct. 10, roughly a month before the Nov. 8 election.

The state recommends allowing seven to 10 days to get your ballot if you request one after that date. The deadline to get your ballot back to the local clerk is 8 p.m. on Election Day.

You can track the status of your ballot request — from when your local clerk receives the request to when they receive your ballot — using this online tool.

Yes. In Maine, absentee voting is used like early voting systems in other states. You can fill out an absentee ballot in person at your municipal office as soon as ballots become available. The cutoff to vote in person is Thursday, Nov. 3, unless special circumstances exist.

Polling places are typically in municipal offices, schools or other civic buildings, but they can be in other places as well. The state has an online tool to look up your polling place or you can call your municipal office.

When absentee ballots are available at municipal offices

Deadline for in-person absentee voting at municipal offices

Election Day, most polls open by 8 a.m. and all close at 8 p.m.

Fill out this form and we’ll look into it for you.

We used public polling data to determine top issues of the minds of Mainers. The result is this guide. The BDN distilled the historic and stated positions of top-tier candidates. It also put questions to every candidate for Maine's 186 state legislative seats and printed their responses verbatim.

Maine Govenor

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We are highlighting three communities with consequential local races and ballot questions this November. Select the community to learn about what will be in front of voters in Bangor, Bar Harbor and Portland.

Bangor has one competitive local race on its November ballot, with five residents seeking three positions on the City Council. The council race comes as the city grapples with rising homelessness and population loss.

The city will also elect two members to its school committee.

Cara PelletierPelletier is a senior director for diversity at a human resources technology firm who would be a new member of the council. One of her top priorities would be to address homelessness and addiction by encouraging the development of more transitional housing and partnering with social service agencies to see what people suffering from substance use disorder most need. Another is to improve the accessibility and maintenance of city sidewalks.

Donald McCannMcCann runs the Maine Liberty Alliance advocacy group and would be a new member of the council. His top priority would be to instill public confidence in the Bangor City Council. He also would address high taxes and a lack of "welcoming" amenities such as bike lanes and public transit. He urged caution on new housing development on the city's outskirts and instead would prioritize additional housing development on existing lots.

Rebecca Schwartz-MetteSchwartz-Mette is a University of Maine psychology professor and mental health researcher who would be a new council member. Her priorities in office would be encouraging economic growth and workforce development, in part by highlighting the city's cultural amenities to show it's a desirable place to live. She also said the city council has a role to play in coordinating social service agencies and other organizations to address homelessness.

Dan TrembleTremble is the owner of Fairmount Market in Bangor and is running for reelection to the council, on which he has served on and off since 1999. He described the city's growing homeless population a "humanitarian crisis" and called for more housing of all types. He said a lack of affordable housing was too much for a single city to handle. He would encourage a city partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that's taking root and further collaboration with the state.

Rick FournierFournier, currently the city council chair, is seeking a second, three-year term on the council. A retired commercial lender, Fournier said the development of more affordable housing, with state and federal help, would be a focus of his if re-elected to the council. He also would devote a portion of the city's $20.4 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to a housing specialist who would help residents find affordable housing.

Marwa HassanienHassanien is serving her first term on the Bangor School Committee and is currently the committee's chair. She is the director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Northern Light Health.

Imke Schessler-JandreauSchessler-Jandreau teaches in the Department of Communication and Journalism at the University of Maine and has previously run for school committee.

Bar Harbor voters will be presented this fall with five local referendum questions when they get their town ballots. The questions are as follows:

Article 2) Shall an ordinance, dated November 19, 2021, and entitled "An amendment to remove the two-thirds majority vote requirement to amend the Land Use Ordinance;" be enacted?

Currently, the town gives limited power to the planning board when it comes to amending the town's land use ordinance. If a majority of the planning board recommends against amending the ordinance, then a two-thirds majority is required at a subsequent town election to approve the ordinance change. If the board supports changing the ordinance, then only a simple majority among voters is needed to change it.

If this article is approved, then only a simple majority of voters would be needed to amend the land use ordinance, regardless of whether the planning board supports the change.

Article 3) Shall an ordinance dated July 19, 2022 and entitled "An amendment to the Town of Bar Harbor Code to Impose Daily Limits on Cruise Ship Disembarkations," be enacted?

This question was placed on the ballot by a citizens’ petition that seeks to impose more strict limits on cruise ship visits to Bar Harbor than the limits negotiated by the town with the cruise ship industry. It would limit daily total cruise ship passenger shore visits (i.e., the number of passengers who actually get off one or more ships and come to shore) to 1,000, with a retroactive date to March 17, 2022. Ships that made local reservations prior to March 17, 2022 would be exempt from that cap. For each passenger above that limit who comes to shore, a $100 fine would be imposed.

Article 4) Shall an ordinance dated August 16, 2022 and entitled "An amendment to allow Retail Marijuana Stores in the Downtown Village I, Downtown Village II, Bar Harbor Gateway, Downtown Village Transitional, and Shoreland Development III districts," be enacted?

Article 5) Shall an ordinance dated August 16, 2022 and entitled "an Adult Use Marijuana Store Licensing Ordinance, allowing for the licensing of retail marijuana stores in zoning districts in which retail is an allowed use," be enacted?

These questions, both placed on the ballot by citizens’ petition, are closely related to each other, but address different aspects of allowing retail marijuana stores in Bar Harbor.

Article 4, if approved, would allow retail marijuana stores to operate in certain parts of town, in particular the downtown area. Article 5 would set operating requirements for licensed retail marijuana stores, such as hours of operations and how far away they must be from schools.

Article 5 also would allow no more than two retail marijuana stores to be licensed in the town at any one time.

Article 6) Shall an ordinance, dated August 11, 2022, and entitled "An amendment to Appendix A – Historic Properties in Design Review Overlay District" be enacted?

This question, if approved, would update dates of construction for eight properties in the district, update the names for seven properties, and correct the address for one property.

Voters in Maine's largest city will face a total of 13 ballot questions, including five citizens’ initiatives and eight proposed changes to the city's charter.

In addition, the following council and school board seats are contested:

The five citizens’ initiatives touch on policy areas including a new local minimum wage, limits on cruise ships and short-term rentals, and tenant protections. The local chapter of the Maine Democratic Socialists of America's Livable Portland campaign is behind four of the five initiatives, questions B, C, D and E. The group has since withdrawn its support for Question E — which would limit the number of passengers allowed to disembark from cruise ships — but the question remains on the ballot.

A "yes" vote approves the measure while a "no" vote rejects the proposed changes.

Question AAn Act to Regulate Short-Term Rentals in Portland and Prohibit Corporate and Absentee Operation of Short-Term Rental PropertiesBrought forward by a group of short-term rental unit owners, the proposal would bar corporations from registering short-term rental units — such as those advertised on sites including Airbnb and VRBO — with the city. It would also require that short-term rental unit operators be located within a 20-mile radius of Portland, or that they have a local resident available to respond to complaints. It would also prohibit the eviction of tenants so property owners can convert their units to short-term rentals.

Question BAn Act to Reduce the Number of Short Term Rentals (STRs) in PortlandThe proposal would limit short-term rentals to units that are occupied by their owners or tenants, or to duplexes where the owner lives in one of the units. The measure also raises the annual registration fee to $250 for owner-occupied short-term rentals and $750 for non-owner occupied units. Other changes include a notification requirement to all residents within 500 feet of a registered short-term rental unit, higher penalties for and stronger enforcement of rule violations, and the ability for the city to revoke a short-term rental unit's registration. The city would also maintain a log of complaints against short-term rentals.

Question CAn Act to Protect Tenants in PortlandThis measure aimed at boosting tenant protections builds on a 2020 referendum approved by Portland voters that capped rent increases. Question C would institute a 90-day notice requirement for any lease terminations or rent increases, and it discourages no-cause evictions by limiting a city rule that allows a 5 percent rent increase when a new tenant moves into a unit to voluntary turnovers. The proposal also limits deposits to one month's rent, prohibits application fees and slows the rate at which landlords are allowed to raise rent annually to 70 percent of the Consumer Price Index.

Question DAn Act to Eliminate the Sub-Minimum Tipped Credit Wage, Increase the Minimum Wage and Strengthen Protections for Workers The measure raises Portland's local minimum wage to $18 per hour over three years and eliminates the tip credit that allows employers to pay workers who depend on tips half the minimum wage. Tipped workers would receive $18 per hour plus tips. The proposal would also apply the minimum wage to workers such as taxi drivers, personal shoppers and delivery workers. The measure would create a local Department of Fair Labor Practices as well. Portland's current minimum wage is $13 while the statewide minimum is $12.75.

Question EAn Act To Restrict Cruise Ships in Order to Reduce Congestion and PollutionThe measure, which would take effect in 2025, aims to limit cruise ship traffic by capping the number of passengers disembarking from cruise ships at 1,000 daily. A measure to limit cruise ship traffic is also on the ballot in Bar Harbor, another major Maine cruise ship port. The Democratic Socialists of America gathered the signatures to place this measure on the ballot, but the group has since withdrawn its support for it in hopes that the city council will take up a compromise it crafted with labor groups.

Voters will consider eight proposals from the city's charter commission to change the city's chief governing document.

Question 1Shall the Municipality Approve the Charter Modifications Recommended by the Charter Commission to Amend the Preamble and Include a Land Acknowledgement as Summarized Below? This change would rework the preamble to Portland's charter and add an acknowledgement that Portland is located "in the unceded territory" of Indigenous people and that "European colonizers displaced Wabanaki people by force and went on to displace and harm indigenous peoples throughout what is now Maine and the United States. We acknowledge that displacement and that harm with sorrow, even as we celebrate and honor the Wabanaki knowledge and culture that continue to thrive in the Tribal Nations that have and always will call this place, the Dawnland, their home."

Question 2Shall the Municipality Approve the Charter Modifications Recommended by the Charter Commission Relating to Governance and Other Governance Related Matters as Summarized Below? The question would establish an executive mayor, giving more power to the elected mayor position the city adopted more than a decade ago but to which it didn't ascribe day-to-day responsibilities. The measure would also expand the city council from nine to 12 members, allow the council to remove or censure the mayor, and convert the city manager position into that of a chief administrator.

The executive mayor would have the power to nominate the chief administrator and all department heads, and veto power over the city budget and other council actions, subject to override votes. The mayor would also be able to introduce legislation and issue executive orders to implement existing council policy.

If approved, the question would introduce a range of other city governance changes detailed in this summary document.

Question 3Shall the Municipality Approve the Charter Modifications Recommended by the Charter Commission Relating to Clean Elections as Summarized Below?The measure would establish the City of Portland Clean Election Fund to provide public campaign funds to municipal candidates who agree to fundraising limits and other requirements the city council would have to set. Candidate participation in the public financing system would be voluntary. The proposal would also prohibit corporate contributions to any municipal candidate, bar foreign entities from spending money on ballot question campaigns, and require that all campaigns report their contributions to the city clerk, who would be charged with creating a searchable online database with the information.

Question 4Shall the Municipality Approve the Charter Modifications Recommended by the Charter Commission Relating to Proportional Ranked Choice Voting as Summarized Below? This change would authorize proportional ranked choice voting for elections in which more than one person is chosen for an office. The city council would have to pass an ordinance establishing the proportional ranked choice voting method. The city already uses ranked choice voting to choose a mayor, councilors, school board members and charter commission members.

Question 5Shall the Municipality Approve the Charter Modifications Recommended by the Charter Commission Relating to School Board Budget Autonomy as Summarized Below?This measure removes the city council's authority over the adoption of a school budget. The city council would be allowed to hold a public hearing on a proposed school budget and provide non-binding recommendations to the school board, but the board would be free to ignore them. Voters would continue to have the final say over the school budget through the annual school budget validation referendum.

Question 6Shall the Municipality Approve the Charter Modifications Recommended by the Charter Commission Relating to the Peaks Island Council as Summarized Below? This proposal codifies in city rules the Peaks Island Council as an elected advisory board to the city council.

Question 7Shall the Municipality Approve the Charter Modifications Recommended by the Charter Commission Relating to the Civilian Police Review Board as Summarized Below? The measure replaces the city's Police Citizens Review Subcommittee with a Civilian Police Review Board of nine or more members appointed by the city council. The board would have the power to receive complaints and refer them to the Portland Police Department's command or internal affairs unit for investigation. The board would also be able to review the police department's command and internal affairs investigation reports with an eye toward fairness, thoroughness and objectivity, and issue its own reports on those investigations.

Question 8Shall the Municipality Approve the Charter Modifications Recommended by the Charter Commission Relating to an Ethics Commission and Code of Ethics as Summarized Below?This measure would require that the city council form an independent, seven-member ethics commission and adopt a code of ethics recommended by the commission. The ethics commission would be able to render advisory opinions on matters of city business and violations of public trust. It would also be able to recommend that the city council fund an accountability officer position and hire someone for it. That officer would serve as an ombudsperson who would receive complaints from the public about alleged government waste, favoritism, mismanagement and other impropriety. The officer would provide ethics training to public officials.

Cara Pelletier Donald McCann Rebecca Schwartz-Mette Dan Tremble Rick Fournier Marwa Hassanien Imke Schessler-Jandreau Article 2) Shall an ordinance, dated November 19, 2021, and entitled "An amendment to remove the two-thirds majority vote requirement to amend the Land Use Ordinance;" be enacted? Article 3) Shall an ordinance dated July 19, 2022 and entitled "An amendment to the Town of Bar Harbor Code to Impose Daily Limits on Cruise Ship Disembarkations," be enacted? Article 4) Shall an ordinance dated August 16, 2022 and entitled "An amendment to allow Retail Marijuana Stores in the Downtown Village I, Downtown Village II, Bar Harbor Gateway, Downtown Village Transitional, and Shoreland Development III districts," be enacted? Article 5) Shall an ordinance dated August 16, 2022 and entitled "an Adult Use Marijuana Store Licensing Ordinance, allowing for the licensing of retail marijuana stores in zoning districts in which retail is an allowed use," be enacted? Article 6) Shall an ordinance, dated August 11, 2022, and entitled "An amendment to Appendix A – Historic Properties in Design Review Overlay District" be enacted? A "yes" vote approves the measure while a "no" vote rejects the proposed changes. Question A Question B Question C Question D Question E Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5 Question 6 Question 7 Question 8

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2022 Maine Voter’s Guide