With the 2025 Maine State and municipal elections in less than a month, some students and young adults may not know how to vote, if they are registered to vote, or how to be an informed voter. Currently, 72 million Americans are not registered to vote, which equates to 26.4 percent of the population. 

How do I register to vote? 

In Maine, there are a variety of ways to register. The most common and traditional way is to go to your city/town hall and ask for a voter registration form and either fill it out and hand it to the city or town clerk, or take it home, fill it out, and mail it to the City/town hall. For example, the South Portland town hall is located at 25 Cottage Rd, South Portland, ME 04106. The deadline for registering to vote at the town hall is October 28, 2025. It is still possible, however, to register to vote at the polls on election day.

Where do I find my polling Station?

 To vote in person, you are required to go to a specific Location known as a polling station, also known as a polling place. Most polling stations are located at city-owned buildings, such as schools, fire stations, and recreation buildings. To find your polling station, you can call or visit your city/town hall, or click here. In most of Maine, polling stations are open from 7am to 8pm.

You’re in the voting booth now, what?

Once you are in the booth, you will be given your ballot. Now, if you’re voting in Maine, your ballot will look different than those in most states. This is because Maine is one of two states that use an election system known as ranked choice voting.  

Ranked choice voting, sometimes shortened to RCV, is a form of election where voters rank the candidates instead of only choosing one option. This means that instead of a simple majority, a candidate needs over fifty percent of the vote. If no candidate receives a majority in the first round of votes, the second choice votes are counted, and so on until a candidate gets a majority. As a voter, you are not required to rank every candidate or vote in every election on a ballot.

What is an informed voter, and how do I become one? 

The good news is you’re already on the right track to becoming an informed voter simply by reading this and other articles on how voting works. An informed voter is a voter who knows and understands how elections and voting work, as well as is knowledgeable about the candidates and issues in an election. Fortunately, in the modern age of the internet, it is easy to research both candidates and issues. One helpful source that can give you unbiased information is ballotpedia.org, a nonprofit that provides impartial information about issues and candidates.

The 2025 election will be held on November 4, 2025.