BANGOR, Maine — Maine 2023 referendum elections are Tuesday, Nov. 7, and most polling sites for those living in Greater Bangor open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voters who live in Bangor will vote at the Cross Insurance Center located at 515 Main St.
Those living in Orono have a new polling site this year. Orono residents will vote at the Collins Center for the Arts on the University of Maine flagship campus located at 2 Flagstaff Road.
Registered voters can call their municipal or town office to find their designated polling location. Voters can also click here to lookup their polling location using the Maine voter information lookup service.
Bangor City Clerk Lisa Goodwin said people can also register to vote onsite until 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Goodwin said voters who plan to register to vote on site must bring one form of identification with them that shows their current address, which can be a driver's license or a state ID.
Voters will need a second form of ID if their current address is not on their driver’s license or state ID. Goodwin said the second form of identification can be a utility bill or updated copy of the voter's vehicle registration.
Goodwin said the deadline to request absentee ballot was last Thursday. Voters can only request an absentee ballot for circumstances that would prevent them from being able to vote in person.
Voters who requested and received an absentee ballot before the deadline and who plan to cast their vote using absentee ballots must return their absentee ballot before by 8 p.m. election night. Goodwin said it's best for voters not to wait until the last minute to return absentee ballots.
"We encourage you to get it in earlier than that, because there’s a lot of work that we have to do on our end to get those processed through," Goodwin said.
Goodwin said lines at polling sites are not usually long, but traffic does usually pick up between 3 and 6 p.m.
Orono Town Clerk Shelly Crosby said voters should use their best judgment and arrive as early as they need to because it may take them longer to vote this year since there are so many referendum questions.
“It is a longer ballot. There are eight referendum questions that you have to think and process," Crosby said. "So, if voters are in the booth and they know that they are being hurried because they have an appointment, or perhaps there are cellphones ringing or if there are other things going on, it could cause a distraction for them as well as other voters.”
Crosby said she encourages voters to review the referendum questions ahead of time.
“Plan to spend some time in the voting booth," Crosby said. "Some of the questions are wordy.”
Goodwin said voters can use resources available on Maine's Secretary of State's voter guide to review the referendum question.
“Understanding the questions is always something that the voters have a hard time with," Goodwin said. "So, I do encourage them to read that Maine citizens guide to the referendum questions so they can better understand the meaning of the question and the correct way for them to vote.”
Crosby said it’s important that everyone exercise their right to vote, because races can run close or tie.
"I have worked in another community in which we actually had an election that turned out as a tie, and it was one ballot off," Crosby said. "So, when that does happen, you see how important it is that everyone who has an opportunity to vote is able to vote."