(NEWS CENTER Maine) - Town Clerks offices across the state are keeping busy as they handle a flood of absentee ballots in the weeks leading up to Election Day.
If you're not able to make it to the polls on Election Day (November 6, 2018) because of work or travel (or maybe you just want to avoid lines), then absentee ballot voting is a welcomed option.
►GOVERNOR CANDIDATE PROFILES: Shawn Moody, Janet Mills, Terry Hayes, Alan Caron
If you're a registered voter, you can call your local town or city hall and request an absentee ballot or submit a request online, then mail it in. Or you can go directly to your city or town hall to vote absentee.
If you're not a registered voter, you missed your chance to register by mail (October 16), and online registration is not an option in Maine. However, you can still go to your local town or city hall in person and register to vote. You can register to vote in person up until the day of the election.
►2ND DISTRICT CANDIDATE PROFILES: Rep. Bruce Poliquin, Jared Golden, Tiffany Bond, Will Hoar
Many Mainers are voting absentee this year. City clerks offices in some of Maine's largest cities say the requests for absentee ballots have been strong so far. By the end of the day on October 22, over 5,500 absentee ballots had been issued in Portland. In Bangor, more than 3,000 had been issued, and in Augusta, more than 1,300.
City clerks said to NEWS CENTER Maine that those strong numbers are typical in gubernatorial races.
►1ST DISTRICT CANDIDATE PROFILES: Marty Grohman, Dr. Mark Holbrook, Rep. Chellie Pingree
However, Augusta City Clerk Roberta Fogg says it appears more people are taking advantage of absentee ballots for the first time this year. In other words, it appears Augusta is getting a very large number of absentee ballot request from people who have never voted using absentee before. It's unclear if those are new voters or voters deciding it is more convenient to vote using absentee.
Maine voters can request absentee ballots until their municipal office closes on Thursday, November 1. All ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day.