Maine Ranked Choice Voting 2026: How the U.S. Senate Ballot Works and the Oct. 29 Absentee Deadline

Maine voters on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026 will rank candidates in the U.S. Senate race under Public Law 2025, chapter 539, and requests for an absentee ballot are due Thursday, Oct. 29. The Maine Secretary of State’s election pages could not be read for this story, so the facts below come from the law itself, Spectrum News, the Portland Press Herald and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). Confirm anything personal with your town clerk.

Our free printable, the Maine Ranked-Choice Ballot Guide, puts the ranked races and the dates on one page. It is listed under the story’s downloads.

Which Maine races use ranked-choice voting on Nov. 3?

Public Law 2025, chapter 539 (LD 1083) amends 21-A M.R.S. §1 to apply ranked-choice voting (RCV) to “general and special elections for the offices of United States Senator and United States Representative to Congress.” It applies only when “3 or more candidates have qualified” or at least two such candidates plus one or more declared write-in candidates have qualified.

Race	Ranked-choice on Nov. 3?	Basis
U.S. Senate	Yes	Six write-ins filed, per Spectrum News (Aug. 26, 2026)
U.S. House	Yes, when the candidate rule above is met	Public Law 2025, chapter 539
Governor (general election)	No, decided by plurality	Public Law 2025, chapter 539 lists only Senate and House for general elections

The same law also applies ranked-choice voting to primaries for U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Governor, State Senator and State Representative. That covers primaries only; the governor’s race in November is decided by plurality. Governor and U.S. House candidates are on your sample ballot; this story does not name them because no authoritative list was available to us.

Who is in the Maine Senate race?

Spectrum News reported on Aug. 26, 2026 that “six candidates met the filing deadline to run as write-ins in the U.S. Senate race,” which triggers ranked-choice voting. In the same coverage, the candidates on the ballot are Republican Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said voters on Nov. 3 can rank “officially declared write-ins,” according to Spectrum News.

How does ranked-choice counting work?

You rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate has a majority of first choices, the last-place candidate is eliminated and those ballots move to their voters’ next choice. The count repeats until one candidate has a majority. If a candidate wins a majority of first choices, no further rounds are needed.

A ranked count can take longer than a single tally. For how that affects results night in every state, read when will we know the 2026 midterm results.

What are the Maine voting dates and deadlines?

Item	Date or time	Source
Last day to register by mail or online	Tuesday, Oct. 13 (passed)	Press Herald voter guide, Oct. 1, 2026
Early in-person (absentee) voting	Began in early October	Press Herald voter guide
Deadline to request an absentee ballot	Thursday, Oct. 29	Press Herald voter guide
Absentee ballots must be received	8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3 (close of polls)	EAC Maine profile, Jan. 2026
Polls close	8 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 3	EAC Maine profile, Jan. 2026
Polls open	Varies by town; check your town clerk	Not confirmed statewide

The EAC profile lists Election Day registration as “permitted” and says voter ID for in-person voting is “ID not required if presented at the time of registration.” For poll closing times in other states, see what time polls close on Election Day 2026. Mark the dates on the October 2026 printable calendar and the November 2026 printable calendar.

Are there statewide questions on the Maine ballot?

No statewide question had been confirmed by the state as of Oct. 24; check your sample ballot. On July 10, 2026, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the Secretary of State’s decision invalidating the petition for “An Act to Designate School Sports Participation and Facilities by Sex” (Gilbert v. Secretary of State, 2026 ME 59), writing “We affirm.” Maine Public reported on May 5, 2026 that the people’s veto of the supplemental budget would not move forward.

The full national picture is in our 2026 midterm ballot and results tracker.