Voters fill voting booths at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. (Photo by Michael G. Seamans/ Maine Morning Star)
Maine started the state’s first-ever post-election audit pilot on Monday as a result of a law that seeks to provide additional assurance that procedures are fair and secure.
The Maine Legislature passed a law in 2021 that created a non-partisan Division of Post-Election Audits and Training to pilot a post-election audit process for the 2024 election results, specifically six legislative races that were within a 5% margin of victory.
The state is slated to make such audits a routine part of the post-election vote verification process starting in 2026.
“Mainers should be very proud of our free, safe and secure elections,” Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said in a statement. “This new post-election risk limiting audit process is a way that we can further prove the accuracy of Maine election results and the integrity of our elections.”
The new division, which is located within the Department of the Secretary of State, is tasked with creating these procedures and overseeing post-election audits and training on an ongoing basis.
The pilot will cover Maine House of Representative districts 17, 20, 55, 83, and 90, and Maine Senate district 15.
On Monday, the division started auditing the race for House District 55, which covers Manchester, West Gardiner and Hallowell, and House District 90, which covers part of Auburn.
The audit process is open for public observation and will occur daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 45 Commerce Drive in the Florian Room in Augusta.