Voting by Mail
If you are mailing a ballot to your home jurisdiction, go into the post office and ask for a “hand cancel” postmark at your post office counter to ensure the ballot gets postmarked. To find the deadlines for ballot requests, this tool from the US Vote Foundation may be of help. However, given that many national databases struggle to keep track of local elections, the most reliable source of information will be your jurisdiction’s website.
For those voting in Brunswick, absentee ballots can now be requested here. Once you receive your ballot, you can return it by USPS or you can drop it yourself 24-7 at the secure ballot dropbox outside Town Hall or inside Town Hall (hours here). This is an 8 minute walk from campus (see map and photo of dropbox).
Those voting in Brunswick will also have the option to vote in person, both early and on election day.
Voting Early in Person
If you want to vote in person, do it during early voting if it’s offered in your jurisdiction. In Maine you can vote early ONLY IF you haven’t also requested an absentee ballot in the mail. If you have already requested an absentee ballot in Maine, you must wait for your requested absentee ballot to arrive in the mail.
Voting in Person on Election Day
Had a problem with your absentee ballot? In Maine and 20 other states you can register locally and vote on election day. On Election Day (Tue 11/7) at Brunswick Junior High School, a 15-minute walk from campus (map). Bowdoin Votes will be operating drop-in shuttles from Moulton Circle to the polling place every 15 minutes from 7am-8pm.
More Tips for Election Day Voters
- Long lines are possible everywhere: pack a meal, a phone-charging battery, ID, hand sanitizer, and a mask
- Polling place locations & times are still changing. Double check yours.
- For help with any aspect of voting, add to your Contacts the Election Protection hotline (1-866-OUR-VOTE). In Maine, the League of Women Voters’ hotline is 207-558-3333.
Students who live on campus should bring their OneCard as proof of identity. If you live off-campus, you’ll need to bring proof of address (e.g. copy of lease or something else from this list) or you will need to complete a Sworn Affidavit of Residency in person at the Town Clerk’s office, located in Town Hall next to Hannaford. Do this BEFORE election day (or else risk a long wait before you vote).
Learn more about voting in Brunswick, and find out what Brunswick district you live in.
