It’s primary day in Maine. Here’s what you need to know.

Entrance to the polling station in Portland’s Merrill Auditorium. (Jim Neuger/Maine Morning Star)

Today is primary day and voters across Maine will be weighing in on which candidates for the Maine Legislature and U.S. Congress they want to see on the November ballot. There are also local contests for school board seats, sheriff, and county commissioner in some communities. 

Early voting has been underway for weeks, and according to the Office of the Secretary of State almost 34,000 ballots were requested and, as of Monday afternoon, more than 26,000 ballots have been returned. 

To find what is on your specific ballot, you can enter your address on the Vote 411 website. 

Here’s a closer look at what to know about the races and how to find your polling place. 

Who can vote in the primary?

As the first primary held under the state’s new semi-open primary law, voters enrolled in the Democratic, Republican and Green Independent parties, as well as those who are unenrolled, may vote. Unenrolled voters will select either the Democratic, Republican or Green Independent ballot. 

Those voters enrolled in any other party may not participate in the primary. 

The deadline to withdraw or change one’s enrollment and still be eligible to vote in this primary was May 24. Voters must be in a party for three months before changing to another.

Find your polling place

The Maine.gov website offers a voter information lookup feature to find polling places and a sample ballot. 

Enter your home address to search for your unique information. Polls open between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. You can find specific hours for your location on the Upcoming Elections page on the Secretary of State website.

Congressional primaries

There are Republican primary races for both of Maine’s congressional districts for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Andrew Piantidosi and Ron Russell are on the ballot for the 1st District, which covers the southern portion of the state. The winner of that race will face incumbent Chellie Pingree, a Democrat who has held the seat since 2009. 

Republicans Austin Theriault and Mike Soboleski are on Tuesday’s ballot for the 2nd District in the northern portion of the state. The two freshmen legislators are vying for the chance to face incumbent Jared Golden, a Democrat. 

Legislative races 

Across the state, there are 17 primary races for seats in the Maine Senate and House of Representatives. 

Maine Morning Star asked the Republican and Democratic candidates for each contested race about their priorities and top issues.

The contested primary races include:

Senate District 10 – Penobscot County (Republican) 
Senate District 16 – Kennebec County (Republican) 
Senate District 19 – Oxford County (Republican) 
Senate District 24 – Sagadahoc County (Democrat)
Senate District 27 – Cumberland County (Democrat)
House District 13 – Ellsworth (Republican) 
House District 24 – Bangor (Democrat)
House District 52 – Bowdoinham (Republican) 
House District 64 – Waterville (Democrat)
House District 65 – Waterville (Democrat)
House District 78 – Rumford (Republican) 
House District 96 – Lewiston (Republican) 
House District 98 – Durham (Republican) 
House District 109 – Gorham (Democrat)
House District 118 – Portland (Democrat)
House District 122 – South Portland (Republican) 
House District 123 – Cape Elizabeth (Democrat)

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