PORTLAND, Maine — Maine's presidential primary day is March 5.
Maine is one of 16 states participating in Super Tuesday, which marks the largest single day of voting outside the general election in November. More than one-third of the total delegates available in each party's nomination are decided on Super Tuesday through early or absentee voting and voting at the polls.
This year, however, Maine is doing something new. Unenrolled voters are now able to participate. Also, Maine's ranked-choice voting is a component of the presidential primaries.
Here's everything you need to know before you head to the polls, which close at 8 p.m.
Semi-open primary
Maine has expanded its eligibility for who can vote during the presidential primary.
Unenrolled voters, who are not registered with a specific qualified party in Maine but are registered to vote, can participate in the presidential primary in 2024 due to a change in the law that went into effect Jan. 1. The state previously limited primary ballots to be cast only by voters enrolled in their party. Now, each unenrolled or unaffiliated voter registered in Maine is permitted to cast one presidential primary ballot with the qualified party of their choice.
Unenrolled voters
Maine is widely known as a largely independent state, with unenrolled voters historically larger in number than voters enrolled in a specific qualifying party, but those numbers have quickly been shifting.
A recent report from the Associated Press notes that unenrolled voters were formerly the largest voting bloc in the state, but in just four years now trail both major political parties, though they note a marked shift toward party enrollment in the Pine Tree State beginning around 2010.
The Office of the Maine Secretary of State makes note that even though many unenrolled or unaffiliated voters identify as "independents," there is no such thing as an independent party in Maine. (The Green Independent party recognized by the state is not the same as unenrolled, independent, or unaffiliated.)
Who is on the ballot?
Democratic presidential candidates
- Joe Biden
- Dean Phillips
Twenty-four delegates are at stake in the state of Maine for Democratic candidates.
Incumbent President Biden and Phillips were still officially in the running for presidential candidate as of the weekend before Super Tuesday.
Write-ins are also an option on the Democratic presidential primary ballot in Maine.
Republican presidential candidates
- Donald Trump
- Nikki Haley
- Ryan Binkley
- Ron DeSantis
- Vivek Ramaswamy
Twenty delegates are at stake from Maine during the presidential primary.
Only two of the candidates were still in the race as of the weekend leading up to Super Tuesday: former President Trump and Haley.
The names listed on the ballot were determined several weeks ago, but all but those two have dropped out of the race.
Write-ins are also an option on the Republican presidential primary ballot in Maine.
How are delegates decided in Maine?
A delegate is an individual who represents their state or community at the party's presidential nominating convention, and they choose a presidential candidate to represent the national party in the November general election, according to previous reports.
NEWS CENTER Maine works with the Associated Press for the latest updated numbers on votes during election events.
Here's what that means for Maine in 2024.
Republican Delegates
Republicans offer party guidelines, but how the delegates are decided is generally up to each state whether to adopt one method or another.
This year, the GOP is "basing its presidential delegate allocation on the first round of voting and will not consider any results of the ranked-choice voting," the Associated Press shared in a recent report. "In the unlikely event that the Maine GOP primary proceeds to ranked-choice rounds, AP will follow the party's preference and declare a winner based on the first round of voting."
Democratic Delegates
Democrats have a standardized rule to which state parties must adhere.
According to that same Associated Press report, "Candidates win at-large and PLEO delegates in proportion to their share of the statewide vote. They also win district delegates in proportion to their share of the vote in each congressional district."
Which parties are holding a primary in Maine?
Only the Democratic Party and Republican Party filed by the Oct. 1, 2023 deadline to hold a presidential primary election in Maine.
Maine recognizes three additional parties as qualified, but they are not participating in the presidential primary election on March 5. They are the Green Independent Party, the Libertarian Party, and the newly recognized No Labels party.
Are only presidential candidates on the ballot?
A special election is being held on March 5 for Maine House District 122, which encompasses all of South Portland's District 1 and a portion of District 2. The seat was vacated in October 2023, when Rep. Lois Galgay Reckitt, a Democrat, died.
Candidate nominations for the seat were due by Dec. 29, 2023. The person elected by voters in that district will serve the remainder of the vacated two-year term, which ends in December 2024.
What's next?
For each party, a candidate must secure the majority of their party's delegates to win the nomination.
Democratic Party candidates need at least 1,969 of the possible 3,900 delegates to win the nomination.
Republican Party candidates need at least 1,215 of the possible 2,429 delegates to win the nomination.
June 11: State Primary Election
Sept. 16: First 2024 Presidential Debate
Sept. 25: 2024 Vice Presidential Debate
Oct. 1: Second 2024 Presidential Debate
Oct. 9: Third 2024 Presidential Debate
Nov. 5: Election Day 2024