[PORTLAND, ME] – The League of Women Voters of Maine (LWVME) reported yesterday that on Election Day, polling across the state was proceeding without incident or significant delays. You can read our Election Day conclusion here. 

“We are glad to see such a high voter turnout in Maine,” said Executive Director Anna Kellar. “We were discouraged to see some long lines in locations like Portland and Biddeford, but overall, we noticed that voters were in good spirits and excited to vote. There were no major incidents, and most lines moved quickly,” added Anna Kellar. 

As we wait for votes to be counted, we know that this waiting period is exactly what should be happening. Some states, such as Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, do not allow election workers to process, then count, ballots until Election Day. Opening the envelopes, checking each signature, and then counting each mail-in ballot will take time.  

In Maine, election workers were able to process ballots early ahead of Election Day. This meant they were able to open ballots and check the signatures, but not officially count them. Ballots are counted once the polls close, publicly, and in front of the election warden. The counting of ballots occurs multiple times. They could be tripled-checked to ensure an accurate count. 

“We could not have had a successful election without our town clerks, election officials, poll workers, and other volunteers,” said Anna Kellar. “We are impressed with the time and dedication they put into preparing for not just in-person voting, but also for a historical number of votes casted via absentee. Everything went smoothly thanks to their efforts.” 

The League of Women Voters of Maine will continue gathering reports from polling locations through the completion of the election. If the state conducts a ranked choice voting tabulation, the LWVME will deploy volunteers to Augusta to observe that process.