Dates below are paraphrased from the official pages linked on each line and were last checked against those pages on October 12, 2026. They can change. Maine Secretary of State — Elections and voting publishes the current calendar. County voting hours vary. “Passed,” “Deadline today,” “In progress,” and “Upcoming” markers use only the date on the device. They ignore cutoff times and the state’s time zone, so a deadline marked for today may already have closed. The marker is not an official cutoff.
Mail or third-person registration
The State of Maine Voter Guide lists October 13, 2026 as the date a registration submitted by mail or by a third person for the November general election must be received by the voter’s town or city, by close of business. That guide calls October 13 the 21st day before Election Day. Title 21-A, §121-A states that a mail or third-person application is due at the close of business on the 21st day before election day. Vote.gov says a mail registration must be received 21 days before Election Day.
Sources: Maine Secretary of State — State of Maine Voter Guide; Maine Title 21-A, §121-A — deadline for registration; Vote.gov — register in Maine
Bureau of Motor Vehicles registration
The voter guide lists October 27, 2026 for registration through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and calls that date the 7th day before the November general election. Title 21-A, §121-A states that an application transmitted by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, or by a source agency other than the Bureau of Motor Vehicles under the automatic-registration sections, is due by midnight on the 7th day before election day.
Sources: Maine Secretary of State — State of Maine Voter Guide; Maine Title 21-A, §121-A — deadline for registration
In-person registration and Election Day
The voter guide says in-person registration runs through the close of the polls on Election Day. The upcoming-elections page titles that election November 3, 2026. Title 21-A, §121-A states that an in-person application is due by the close of the polls on election day. Title 21-A, §626 states that the polls close at 8 p.m. on election day, except in municipalities with a population of less than 100, which may close the polls after all registered voters have voted. The same section states that the polls open no earlier than 6 a.m. and no later than 8 a.m., except that in a municipality with a population of less than 500 the polls open no later than 10:00 a.m. Municipal officers set the opening time inside those limits. The September 28, 2026 voting place report lists each municipality’s opening time.
Sources: Maine Secretary of State — State of Maine Voter Guide; Maine Secretary of State — upcoming elections; Maine Title 21-A, §121-A — deadline for registration; Maine Title 21-A, §626 — polling times; Maine Secretary of State — November 3, 2026 voting place report (PDF)
In-person absentee voting
The Secretary of State’s September 4, 2026 update lists October 4, 2026, 30 days before Election Day, as the day the in-person, no-excuse absentee voting period begins. It says that period goes through close of business in a voter’s town on Thursday, October 29. The voter guide says absentee ballots are available 30 days before the election at the municipal clerk’s office, and that the deadline for absentee voting in the presence of the clerk, unless special circumstances exist, is the Thursday before the election. Municipal hours vary.
Sources: Maine Secretary of State — September 4, 2026 general-election update; Maine Secretary of State — State of Maine Voter Guide
Absentee ballot request
The August 3, 2026 announcement says requests for the November 3, 2026 general election could be made starting that day, and that municipal clerks begin issuing ballots 30 days before Election Day. The September 4, 2026 update lists October 29, 2026 as the last day to request a no-excuse absentee ballot, and says a request must be received at least three business days before Election Day unless special circumstances exist. Title 21-A, §753-B states the rule for a request received after the 3rd business day before election day.
Sources: Maine Secretary of State — August 3, 2026 absentee-ballot announcement; Maine Secretary of State — September 4, 2026 general-election update; Maine Title 21-A, §753-B — absentee ballot procedure
Separate early-voting window
The voter guide and the September 4, 2026 update describe in-person absentee voting and do not print a separate early-voting period. The Maine Secretary of State is the official source.
Special-circumstance absentee request reasons
The September 4, 2026 update refers to special circumstances for a request after the no-excuse deadline. Title 21-A, §753-B is the statute for that request. The Maine Secretary of State and that statute are the official sources.