As Mainers prepare to head to the polls for the June 11 state primary, The Maine Monitor is committed to shedding light on the election process, and the people and issues on the ballot. We are committed to providing accurate, nuanced and nonpartisan journalism.

Rather than reporting on the latest presidential polls or campaign stops — which will get plenty of coverage in the national press — we plan to focus on what’s happening here in Maine. 

Both of Maine’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and one of its U.S. Senate seats are on the ballot this year. All 151 state representative seats and 35 state senate seats are also on the ballot, as are the following county offices, depending on the county: judge of probate, register of probate, county treasurer, register of deeds, sheriff and county commissioner.

Given the spread of misinformation and questions about the voting process that has permeated the national conversation in recent years, we’ll devote much of our reporting to explaining the election process itself and matters of policy.

We want to ensure Mainers can say with confidence that they understand the process and have all the information they need to participate.

We’ll focus our reporting on Maine’s county races, which are often overlooked; we’ll sit with the municipal clerks who play a crucial role organizing elections; and we’ll break down ballot initiatives, which are too often confusing to voters. 

At the heart of our work is a desire to help Mainers participate in the electoral process and make informed decisions at the polls.

To start, we decided to sit with Secretary of State Shenna Bellows for a conversation about Maine’s electoral process, and the work her office does to ensure votes are counted accurately and information is stored securely. You can watch a recording of that conversation, or you can read the main takeaways.

As always, our nonprofit journalism is independent and nonpartisan: The Maine Monitor does not take a position on any political party or policy, nor does it endorse candidates. Our mission is to deliver journalism that informs Mainers about the issues impacting our state and inspires them to take action.

As the November general election approaches, we want to hear from you — let us know if you have questions by filling out this form. 

We’ll be populating our election hub with our original reporting, and our resource guide with information to ensure you are a prepared voter.

The Maine Monitor

The Maine Monitor is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting. Our team of investigative journalists use data- and document-based reporting to produce stories that have an impact.