Sec. Bellows: Maine’s primary contests looks smooth and secure but turnout appears low

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows delivers donuts to poll workers in Portland during Maine’s June 11 primary election. (Evan Popp/Maine Morning Star)

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said turnout is looking light for Tuesday’s primary election and also sought to remind voters of the security processes in places to protect the legitimacy of the contest. 

Bellows, who is criss-crossing the state Tuesday, with visits to polling places ranging from Biddeford to Bangor, said one indication of the light turnout is early voting numbers. Nearly 34,000 absentee ballots were requested across the state and more than 26,000 had been returned as of Monday. Given that Maine has over 900,000 enrolled voters, “that is a very small percentage,” Bellows said in an interview at a polling place in Portland. 

Tuesday’s election features contested races for 17 seats in the state Legislature and Republican primaries for Maine’s two seats in the U.S. House. Still, people across the state turned out to vote regardless of whether there were contested races on their ballot. “You can’t complain if you don’t vote,” said Nanette Kent, a Durham voter. 

The Secretary of State reminded voters who have requested an absentee ballot that the deadline to return it is 8 p.m. on Election Day. Bellows added that people can also take advantage of same-day voter registration but that voters who have already registered with a political party can’t switch to another party on primary day itself. 

As of Tuesday morning, Bellows said the election is running smoothly, with adequate staffing levels across the state. 

“Clerks are always recruiting poll workers because you never know in an era of potential COVID or cancelations, it’s always good to have backups,” she said. “So if you’re thinking about volunteering, it’s a great way to see how our elections work.” 

One challenge is that across the country, election workers and officials have reported over 2,000 instances of alleged threats and harassment to the FBI over the past several years, leading to concerns about keeping people safe as the U.S. approaches the 2024 presidential election. To that end, Bellows said the Secretary of State’s Office last week held virtual training sessions, including on deescalation and threat analysis and reporting.

Threats to election workers have proliferated since the 2020 election, when then-President Donald Trump falsely claimed the contest was stolen from him. Bellows — who unsuccessfully sought to disqualify Trump from the state’s March presidential primary ballot, finding that he engaged in insurrection with his actions on and leading up to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol — said lies and disinformation about election integrity have continued to spread online. However, she emphasized that Maine’s elections are safe and secure. 

“We always like to remind Maine voters that our elections are extraordinarily transparent and participatory,” Bellows said, noting that every polling location has a roughly equal number of Democratic and Republican poll workers and that ballots are counted in full view of observers from campaigns and parties. 

“Those are some of the procedures that ensure elections are free and fair and accurate,” she said, adding that the best way to find out how the process works is to volunteer at the polls.

During her visit to the Portland Exposition Center, Bellows also discussed a proposed ballot initiative that seeks to require voters to show identification at the polls and would also rescind provisions that allow voters to apply for an absentee ballot over the phone and register to automatically receive an absentee ballot for each election. 

Volunteers for that initiative were at polling places collecting signatures Tuesday, including in Portland. Lori Bozeman, who was gathering signatures for the initiative, said voter ID should be required at the polls, just as it is for a variety of activities, like buying alcohol, cigarettes or getting on a bus. 

In Durham, voters also expressed support for the ballot initiative, including Mark Small, who said signing the petition was a main reason he showed up to the polls Tuesday. 

However, Bellows said it’s a misconception that voters don’t need identification to participate in elections, noting that such documentation is required at the time of registration. Still, Bellows emphasized that the referendum process is part of Maine’s constitution and allows voters to make their voices heard, although she reminded people to read the fine print of anything they sign.

Maine Morning Star reporter Emma Davis contributed reporting to this story.

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