The short version
Maine nominates major-party candidates through the June primary and uses ranked-choice voting in primaries and federal general elections. You get on the ballot by gathering signatures on nomination petitions and filing them with the Division of Elections.
- Offices you can run for
- Federal (U.S. House and Senate); statewide (Governor); the Maine Senate and House; county offices; and local offices.
- How to get on the ballot
- Gather the required signatures on nomination petitions during the petition window, have them certified by your local registrar, then file with the Secretary of State by the deadline — Governor and U.S. Senate candidates need roughly 2,000-2,500 signatures and U.S. House candidates 1,000-1,250. Nonparty candidates petition directly onto the general-election ballot.
- Who runs candidate filing
- Maine Secretary of State — Division of Elections
This is a plain-language overview, not legal advice. Filing deadlines and fees change every election cycle and vary by office — the official Maine resources below are the final word. When in doubt, the elections authority is right and we're wrong.
Official Maine candidate resources
Start here for the exact deadlines, fees, forms, and signature counts for your office and cycle.
Once you're on the ballot, Motion51 runs your field game.
Get your district's voter file loaded, cut into walkable turf, and onto an app your volunteers use at the door. Maine is fully available — see how to get your voter file.
Talk to us about your Maine race
Tell us what you're running for and we'll help you go from "qualified" to "knocking doors" — voter file loaded, turf cut, volunteers set up.