Bowdoin, Maine Public Records

Residents must register at least 21 days before an election, though same-day voter registration is available at the polls on Election Day with proof of residency and identity. Acceptable identification includes a Maine driver's license, current utility bill, bank statement, or government check showing the voter's name and Bowdoin address. The town conducts municipal elections through its Annual Town Meeting, traditionally held in March. Operating under the town meeting form of government, registered voters gather to elect selectmen, school board members, and other officials, and to vote on the budget and warrant articles. Local elections are nonpartisan. The next Town Meeting is scheduled for March 2025. Information about candidates and warrant articles is posted at the Town Office and on the town website beforehand. Rather than a mayor or city council, a Board of Selectmen - currently three members serving staggered three-year terms - provides executive governance between town meetings. Residents vote at the Bowdoin Town Hall, 13 School Street, Bowdoin, ME 04287, for both municipal and state/federal elections. Voters can confirm their polling location and view sample ballots through the Maine Secretary of State's website at https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/. In the November 2024 presidential election, Sagadahoc County recorded approximately 76% voter turnout, with about 27,500 ballots cast out of roughly 36,000 registered voters, reflecting Maine's consistently high civic participation rates. The November 3, 2026 general election will include several significant races. Maine's gubernatorial election will be held, as Governor Janet Mills' current term expires in 2026 (Maine governors serve four-year terms). All 151 seats in the Maine House of Representatives and all 35 Maine Senate seats will be on the ballot; Bowdoin is part of State Senate District 24 and State House District 53. U.S. Senator Susan Collins' seat is not up in 2026 (next election 2026), but U.S. Senator Angus King's seat will be contested in 2024, not 2026. Maine's two U.S. House seats will be on the ballot; Bowdoin is in Maine's 1st Congressional District. Sagadahoc County offices on the ballot may include County Commissioner seats, Register of Deeds, Sheriff, County Treasurer, and Register of Probate, depending on term schedules. Maine allows no-excuse absentee voting. Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot without providing a reason. Applications can be submitted online at https://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/AbsenteeBallot/index.pl, by mail, in person at the town office, or by phone to the Bowdoin Town Clerk at (207) 666-5531. Absentee ballot requests must be received by the third business day before Election Day, though requests submitted by mail must be received earlier. Voted absentee ballots must be returned to the town clerk by 8:00 PM on Election Day to be counted. The state also allows early in-person absentee voting at the town office beginning 30 days before an election during normal business hours. Election records that are public in Maine include voter registration lists (available to candidates and political parties, with restrictions on commercial use under 21-A § 196-A), campaign finance reports (accessible through the Maine Ethics Commission at https://www.maine.gov/ethics/), candidate filings and declarations (available from the Secretary of State and local clerks), and precinct-level election results (published by the Secretary of State at https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/results/). Voter history (whether an individual voted in a particular election, but not how they voted) is public record. Absentee ballot applications are public once processed.