Voting Resources | Portland Organizing to Win Economic Rights (POWER, Maine)

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Voting Information & Resources

MAINE VOTER INFO PORTLAND VOTER INFO

We've gathered some information and links to help us all understand more about the voting process. There are two different sections of information: one for voting in Maine, and one that is specific to voting in Portland. While this is still a work in progress, so far we've gathered the following about:

what our voting rights are in the state of Maine,
how to find your house & senate districts,
how to look up which candidates are running for election in your district;
where your polling places are and/or how to find out,
how to register to vote,
how to find out if you're registered to vote in any town/city in Maine
how to find out if you're registered to vote in Portland
how to find out who your current elected officials are,
look at maps of Portland's voting districts
links to maps of voting districts statewide,
look at sample ballots for Portland & a list of local & state Portland-area candidates
See a list of all candidates who are running for election in Maine
and more!

Take a look!

And don't forget:
Election Day is Tuesday November 4, 2008

(Some files on this page are in PDF format & require the program Adobe Reader to open
- click HERE to download a free copy of Adobe Reader)

Maine Voter Info

FIND YOUR HOUSE & SENATE DISTRICTS
Here are two ways you can look up your House & Senate districts. (What's a district?)
(More about Portland districts here)

www.vote-usa.org/Default.aspx -After you enter your street address, town/city, & state, you'll come up with what the site calls "sample ballot" - which will tell you your house & senate district, and the candidates running for these districts (doesn't show local candidates). This link appears to be especially helpful for those who live in an area with more than one house/senate district, because it looks up the info for your specific address.

(More about Portland districts here)

www.maine.gov/local -After you type in your zipcode/town you'll come up with an info page for your town/city. Be sure to look ON THE RIGHT HAND COLUMN of this page, where you'll find:

Your town/city school department (linked to more info).
Your state senate district (info is linked to your currently elected state senator).
Your house district (also links to your currently elected state representative).
Your US congressional district (info is linked to your currently elected Congress member).
Address & contact info for your town office or city hall.
Your town/city's website (if available)

(what's a district?)

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MAPS of MAINE's HOUSE & SENATE DISTRICTS

If you live in a town/city with multiple districts (for more about Portland districts, see below), here's how you can find your house & senate district out of all those listed for your town/city:

Maps of Maine's state-level HOUSE districts
District maps: search by district #
Detailed district info: search by town/city

Maps of Maine's state-level SENATE Districts
District Maps: search by district #
Detailed district info: search by town/city
Map of Maine's US Congressional Districts

Note: THIS IS FILE IS LARGE & TAKES A LONG TIME TO DOWNLOAD.

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FIND YOUR POLLING PLACE
(What's a polling place?)

More on Portland polling places here

Look up the polling places in your town/city:
www.maine.gov/portal/government/edemocracy/lookup_polling_place.php
After you type in your zipcode or town, you'll come up with a page that:

Tells you the location of your polling place. For areas with multiple polling places, see #2.
Shows the candidates who are currently running for election in your district this year, whose names will appear on your ballot when you vote in this year's election (more about looking up current candidates here) (doesn't show local candidates.
Tells you the location & contact info of your local city/town clerk.

If you live in a city/town with more than one polling place, you'll need to find the one for your specific precinct:

(Click here to find your polling place in Portland)

Look to see if there is webpage listed for your city, which should list polling place locations (try looking under CITY CLERK). Also check www.maine.gov/local/ for a town/city website listing.
Contact your city or town clerk directly - their contact info is listed near the bottom of the page.
Contact the Maine Elections Division: (207) 624-7650 / cec.elections(at)maine.gov
101 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333-0101

Or, you can also cast an absentee ballot instead of voting at your polling place. You can get an absentee ballot at your local town office or city hall, or you can have it mailed to you (check with your local town/city clerk on this). To learn about absentee ballots, click HERE.

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FIND YOUR STATE CANDIDATES
Here are three ways you can look up state candidates:

Look up the state candidates running in your district: www.vote-usa.org/Default.aspx
Look up state candidates running in your town/city: www.maine.gov/local
Look up the list of all of Maine's state candidates by visiting either:

Vote-USA's Directory of Maine Offices & Candidates
State of Maine General Election Candidate List (HTML) / (PDF version)
Abbreviations used in above list: Candidates for US Senate= (US) / Candidates for Governor= (GV) / Candidates for US Congress, District 1= (CG1); Dstrict 2= (CG2) / Candidates for state Senate in Augusta (SS) / Candidates for state House of Representatives in Augusta (SR)

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FIND YOUR CURRENT ELECTED OFFICIALS -

Find the elected officials currently representing your town/city: www.maine.gov/portal/government/edemocracy/lookup_officials.php
-shows the district each elected official represents & contact info. Also see #2 below.
To find the elected officials currently representing your house/senate district: first, use this link www.vote-usa.org/Default.aspx to find your house & senate district. Then go back to the first link above & find the elected officials that match your district numbers.

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FIND OUT IF YOU'RE REGISTERED TO VOTE
www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/votreg.htm

(For Portland see below)

If you're not sure whether or not you're registered to vote, or if you want to make sure your registration info is up to date (for example, if you've moved since you last voted), you should contact your local municipal (town/city) registrar or clerk.

List of muncipal clerks, with location & contact info, sorted alphabetically by town/city.
List of municipal registrars, with location & contact info, sorted alphabetically by town/city.

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HOW TO REGISTER TO VOTE
In addition to the information listed below, here are some helpful links to the Maine state website:

General info about registering to vote.
Frequently Asked Questions about voting.
Maine State Voter Guide.

Who can register to vote
Any U.S. citizen who is a Maine resident & is at least 17 years old can register to vote.

How to register to vote

You register to vote in the town/city where you live. This is the same town/city you where you'll be voting on Election Day. You can register in person, or by mail.
You'll fill out a voter registration card (see how to get a card below). Below is a copy of Maine's Voter Registration card, front & back. Click on each image to enlarge it.

Voter Registration Card: front Voter Registration Card: back

Click on the links below to see what a sample voter registration card looks like:

You'll also need some form of proof of residency.

Where to register:
In Maine you can register to vote in many places, including:

On Election Day you can register to vote at your polling place ;
At your local town office or city hall - usually in the municipal clerk's office. To find out where to contact your municipal clerk or registrar:

List of muncipal clerks, with location & contact info, sorted alphabetically by town/city.
List of municipal registrars, with location & contact info, sorted alphabetically by town/city.

At any local branch of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
At most of your local social service agencies, such as DHHS or Social Security office, etc.
At any voter registration drive.
By mail: see below.

Registering to vote by mail

Where to get a voter registration card:

contact your city/town clerk or the Secretary of State's Division of Elections - who will mail youa card to your home address.
pick one up at most state & federal social service agencies such as DHHS
pick one up at a voter registration drive
pick one up at your local library (most libraries have them)

You'll also need a copy of proof of residency - something that shows your current legal name and address, such as a state ID or driver's license, utility bill, check book, etc.
Mail your voter registration card & a copy of your proof of residency, either to:

your town/city registrar, or
Maine's Office of the Secretary of State, Division of Elections.

When to register
IT'S NEVER TO LATE TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN MAINE!!!

You can even register at your polling place on Election Day (remember to bring proof of residency). However, if you plan to mail in your voter registration card (or have someone else bring it in for you), it needs to be mailed (or delivered on your behalf) to your local town office or city hall, or to the Secretary of State's Office, by Oct 17, 2006 (21 days before Election Day).

An example of a voter registration card: www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/votguid06.htm

If you have any questions, or need a voter registration card or anything else related to voting, don't hesitate to contact Maine's Office of the Secretary of State, Division of Elections:

Division of Elections
101 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0101
(207)624-7650
cec.elections(at)maine.gov
www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/

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MAINE VOTING RIGHTS
www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/right.htm
Information about your voting rights in Maine. For example, did you know:

In Maine there is no deadline for in-person voter registration, including on Election Day. You can even register at your polling place on Election Day (remember to bring proof of residency). However, if you plan to mail in your voter registration card (or have someone else bring it in for you), it needs to be mailed (or delivered on your behalf) to your local town office or city hall, or to the Secretary of State's Office, by Oct 17, 2006 (21 days before Election Day).
In Maine, while you need to be at least 18 years old to vote in the general election, you can register to vote at age 17. You can even vote that year's primary election at age 17, so long as you will be 18 on or after Election Day that year

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Portland Voter Info

Here fellow Portland residents can find their election districts & polling places, look up their voter registration status, see a sample ballot, contact the city clerk, look at district maps, find out
who their city councilors are, see a list of local candidates, and more.

City of Portland General Info
Portland City Hall	389 Congress Street Portland, Maine 04101
City's website	www.portlandmaine.gov

FIND YOUR ELECTION DISTRICT

To find which district you live in (Portland only), see: www.portlandmaine.gov/voter/distlook.asp.
Type in your street address & you'll find out the following info:

"District" - This is your municipal district (for City Council, School Committee, etc).

Note that on the city's web page this is only labeled "District."
Note also that another name for municipal district is "ward."

"Precinct" - This is your municipal precinct (this # corresponds to your polling place)
"Polling Place" - This is your polling place location where you will go to vote. See below for the exact address of your polling place.
"House" - This is your house district (for Maine State House of Representatives)
"Senate" - This is your senate district (for Maine State Senate)
If you have any questions, contact the Portland City Clerk: 874-8677 cityclerk(at)portlandmaine.gov;

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FIND YOUR POLLING PLACE IN PORTLAND

For the exact address of polling places in Portland and/or to see a map of your Municipal (city-wide) district, go to: www.portlandmaine.gov/voter/pollplace.asp.

Note: in left-hand column, polling locations are identifed by two numbers separated with a hyphen (for example, the first one listed is 1-1). The first number is your municipal district & the second one is your precinct. Click on this hyphenated number for a MAP.
If you have any questions, contact the Portland City Clerk: 874-8677 cityclerk(at)portlandmaine.gov;

The list below is based on the list found on the City of Portland's website: www.portlandmaine.gov/voter/pollplace.asp

Precinct Map	Polling Place Location & Map	Polling Place Address
1-1	East End Elementary School	195 North Street
1-2	Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall	20 Myrtle Street
1-3	Peaks Island Community Hall	Peaks Island
1-4	Cliff Island Community Hall	Cliff Island
1-5	Diamond Edge Restaurant	Great Diamond Island
2-1	Reiche Elementary School	166 Brackett Street
2-2	Harbor Terrace	284 Danforth Street
2-3	Exposition Building	239 Park Avenue
3-1	Barron Center	1145 Brighton Avenue
3-2	Temple Beth El	400 Deering Avenue
3-3	St. Patrick's Church	1342 Congress Street
4-1	St. Pius Church	492 Ocean Avenue
4-2	First Baptist Church	360 Canco Road
4-3	Presumpscot School	69 Presumpscot Street
5-1	Central Square Baptist Church	466 Stevens Avenue
5-2	Riverton Community Center	1600 Forest Avenue
5-3	Unitarian Universalist Church	524 Allen Avenue

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CHECK YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION STATUS IN PORTLAND

If you're registered to vote in Portland, go to: www.portlandmaine.gov/voter/voterlook.asp, type in your name, & hit enter.Click on your name & it will take you to a page that shows you all sorts of helpful info about where you go to vote, a muncipal district map, a polling place map, etc. It's very handy!

Note: if you're not sure whether you're registered to vote in Portland you can check here by looking up your last name: www.portlandmaine.gov/voter/voterlook.asp. It's a good idea to do this anyway & make sure your address & name are listed properly. Notify the City Clerk if there are errors: 874-8677 cityclerk(at)portlandmaine.gov;

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SAMPLE BALLOTS FOR PORTLAND

See what's on the ballot for the upcoming election, including all the candidates running for local positions such as city council, school board, etc: www.portlandmaine.gov/voter/sampleballot.pdf

Note: this document includes different ballots for different districts - scroll down to find the one for your district.

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CONTACT PORTLAND'S CITY CLERK

Portland City Clerk
Current city clerk:	Linda Cohen
Office:	389 Congress Street, Room 203, Portland, Maine 04101
Hours:	8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
Phone:	874-8610, 874-8677
Email:	cityclerk(at)portlandmaine.gov
City Clerk's Webpage:	www.portlandmaine.gov/voter/cityclerk.asp

For general info about voting in Portland, Maine: click HERE.
To see the website for the city of Portland, Maine: click HERE.

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PORTLAND MAINE DISTRICT MAPS

These maps show muncipal districts & precincts, Senate districts, & House districts.
Also, when you enlarge the maps, they show the location of each polling place (where you go to cast your vote on Election Day). Your polling place is determined by your precinct.
For more about how to read these maps, see below.

District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 District 5

Clicking on each map above will give you an enlarge-able image.

Understanding Portland's District Maps
What are districts? Municipal Districts Precincts Polling Places	Portland has five muncipal districts (1,2,3,4,5) - they are shown on the map in black. Each municipal district is divided into precincts. Most districts have three precincts, except District 1, which has five precincts. The city of Portland has a total of 17 precincts. There is one polling place for each district (17 total polling places). Polling places are marked on the map with a small target-shaped circle. Note: on the map (and elsewhere) your specific municipal district & precinct are combined into one hyphenated number, for example: 2-3. The1st # is the municipal district & the 2nd # is the precinct. For example, "Municipal district 2, precinct 3" becomes "2-3".
Senate Districts	Portland has two Senate districts (8, 9). Senate districts are shown on the map in blue.
House Districts	Portland has eight House districts (113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120). House districts are shown on the map in red.
To zoom in on each map Clicking on each map brings you to a page with just the map on it: click on the map again & you'll be able to zoom in. Then, once you're done with the enlarged map, click the "Back" button on your browser window to return to this page.

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PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL INFO
City of Portland's website: www.portlandmaine.gov

Portland City Council (2008)

District	Seat up for re-election in 2008?	Current Councilor	Phone & Email	Address	Standing Committees
District 1 Elected: 2006 Term expires: 2009	No	Kevin J. Donoghue	409-2807 kjdonoghue@ portlandmaine.gov	44 North Street, Apt# 1 Portland, Me 04101	CHAIR: Transportation Housing Public Safety

District 2 Elected: 2006 Term expires: 2009	No	David A. Marshall	409-6617 damarshall@ portlandmaine.gov	41 Pine Street, Apt #1 Portland, Me 04102	CHAIR: Public Safety Energy & Environmental Sustainability Finance Legislative

District 3 Elected: 2007 Term expires: 2010	No	Dan S. Skolnik	831-7343 dskolnik@ portlandmaine.gov	12 Motley St. Portland, Me 04102	CHAIR: Health & Recreation Legislative Transportation

District 4 Elected: 2005 Term expires: 2008	YES	Cheryl A. Leeman	773-4161 cl@ portlandmaine.gov	37 Savoy Street Portland, Me 04103	CHAIR: Community Development Appointments & Non-Union Personnel Transportation

District 5 Elected: 2005 Term expires: 2008	YES	James I. Cohen	797-9638 W: 253-4708 jcohen@ portlandmaine.gov	62 Deepwood Drive Portland, Me 04103	CHAIR: Finance Energy & Environmental Sustainability Health & Recreation

At Large Elected: 2007 Term expires: 2010	No	Jill C. Duson	878-0769 jduson@ portlandmaine.gov	101 Pennell Avenue Portland, Me 04103	CHAIR: Housing Appointments & Non-Union Personnel Public Safety

At Large Elected: 2007 Term expires: 2010	No	John M. Anton	650-8979 janton@ portlandmaine.gov	63 Spruce St Portland, Me 04102	CHAIR: Appointments & Non-Union Personnel Community Development Finance

At Large Elected: 2006 Term expires: 2009	No	Nicholas Mavodones, Jr.	774-5136 nmm@ portlandmaine.gov	79 Chenery Street Portland, Me 04103	CHAIR: Legislative Health & Recreation Housing

At Large Elected: 2005 Term expires: 2008	YES	Edward J. Suslovic	653-4629 Mayor'sOffice 874-8941 esuslovic@ portlandmaine.gov	46 Kenwood St Portland, Me 04102	MAYOR Library Trustee CHAIR: Energy & Environmental Sustainability

Portland City Council is made up of 9 councilors who are each elected to serve a 3-year term.
Each of the City’s five municipal districts elects one Council member, and
there are four at-large members who are elected by the voters of the entire city.

The 3 Portland City Council Seats up for re-election this year (2008) are:

- District 4 seat: currently held by: Councilor Cheryl A. Leeman
- District 5 seat: currently held by: Councilor James I. Cohen
- At Large seat: currently held by: Councilor Edward J. Suslovic

Portland City Council Meetings
www.portlandmaine.gov/citycou.htm
"Portland residents are cordially invited to attend & address the Council on matters of concern, in accordance with the Council Rules."
--from Portland City Council's webpage

Date	FIRST & THIRD Mondays of each month
Time	7:00 p.m.
Location	City Council Chambers on the 2nd floor of Portland City Hall
Meeting Calendar	Portland City Council Meeting Calendar
About Meetings	www.portlandmaine.gov/councilpacket.htm
City Council webpage	www.portlandmaine.gov/citycou.htm

City Council Meeting Agendas www.portlandmaine.gov/agenda.htm Agendas are posted on the council's webpage before meetings. They are sometimes updated, so it's a good idea to check back periodically.
Posted on the council's webpage:	www.portlandmaine.gov/agenda.htm
Hard copies of the agenda are available
When:	on the Friday before the next council meeting
Where:	City Manager's Office Room 208, Portland City Hall (ph: 874-8685)

2008 Standing Committees Portland City Council For more info, see: www.portlandmaine.gov/citycou2.htm
Committee	Members
Council Mayor	Edward J. Suslovic
Appointments & Non-Union Personnel	John Anton, Chair Jill C. Duson Cheryl A. Leeman
Community Development	Cheryl A. Leeman, Chair John Anton James I. Cohen
Energy & Environmental Sustainability	Edward Suslovic James I. Cohen David A. Marshall
Finance	James I. Cohen, Chair John Anton David A. Marshall
Health & Recreation	Dan Skolnik, Chair James I. Cohen Nick Mavodones
Housing	Jill C. Duson, Chair Kevin J. Donoghue Nick Mavodones
Legislative	Nick Mavodones, Chair David A. Marshall Dan Skolnik
Library Trustee	Edward Suslovic
Public Safety Committee	David A. Marshall, Chair Kevin J. Donoghue Jill C. Duson
Transportation Committee	Kevin J. Donoghue, Chair Cheryl A. Leeman Dan Skolnik

Volunteer Boards & Committees Positions filled by members of the public, some committees also have councilor members
List of current boards & committees	www.portlandmaine.gov/meetings.htm
List of current vacancies	www.portlandmaine.gov/board.htm

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PORTLAND
2008 LOCAL CANDIDATES

2008 Candidates for Portland City Council (Three Year Term)
District 4	District 5	At Large
Cheryl A. Leeman	James I. Cohen	Edward J. Suslovic
?	?	?
?	?	?

2008 Candidates for Portland School Committee (Three Year Term)
District	District	At Large
?	?	?
?	?	?
?	?	?

2008 Candidates for
Portland Water District Trustee
(Five Year Term)

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MISCELLANEOUS INFO

POLLING PLACES
Polling places are where you go to vote on Election Day (and for primary elections & any special elections). Your polling place is determined by where you live. Many towns & all cities have more than one polling place location. In this case, the town/city is divided into precincts. Each precinct has its own particular polling place location.

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DISTRICTS
The communities we live in are broken up into various districts.
This is so we can elect people from our communities to represent us at the local, state, and national levels of government. At first all the different districts can seem very confusing, but don't be discouraged! Each district relates to a different level of government, such as:

Municipal districts: for the town/city level. Cities & towns are divided into municipal districts so that the citizens from each district can elect people from their community to represent them in their local town or city government. The municipal district you live in determines who you will elect to represent you at your city/town council, school committee, etc.

Note: Muncipal districts are also called "wards" or "city districts."

Senate districts: for the state senate level. The senate district you live in determines who you can elect to represent you in the Maine State Senate in Augusta.
House districts: for state house level. The house district you live in determines who you can elect to represent you in the Maine State House of Representatives in Augusta.
Congressional districts: for the national congressional level. The congressional district you live in determines who you can elect to represent you in the United States House of Representatives in Washington D.C.

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PROOF OF RESIDENCY

When you register to vote you should bring some form of identification with you that shows proof of where you live. This is called proof of residency: something that shows both your current legal name and address (the address of where you actually live, not a p.o. box).

Here are some examples: