ME Presidential Ballot Access
Maine Presidential Ballot Access Requirements
State-level general-election presidential ballot access requirements for Maine, including party nomination, petition access, and write-in rules where available in the NASS summary.
Party Nomination
Political Party Nomination
A presidential candidates nominated by a qualified political party may be placed on the general election ballot. Each qualified political party nominates presidential electors. A qualified political party is a party that was listed on the ballot at either of the 2 preceding general elections; held municipal caucuses and state contentions as required by statute; and the party’s candidate for governor or president received at least 5% of the total votes cast for governor or president in the last gubernatorial or presidential election, or at least 5,000 voters were enrolled in the party as of the last general election. A political party may also qualify if it had a candidate for g overnor or for p resident in the last preceding general election who was nominated by petition receive 5% or more of the total vote cast in the state for governor or for p resident, or; 10 or more voters not enrolled in a qualified political party file with the secretary of state on the 180th day before the primary election a petition containing the signatures of voters equal in number to at least 5% of the total vote cast in the s tate for g overnor at the last preceding gubernatorial election.
Petition Access
Petition / Independent Candidate Access
A presidential candidate that is not nominated by a political party may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than August 15th a petition signed by at least 4,000 and not more than 6,000 vote rs. The petition must include the names of the candidates for president and vice-president and the names of the presidential electors.
Write-In
Write-In Rules
A write-in candidate for president must file a declaration of write-in candidacy with the secretary of state no later than the 45th day prior to the election.
Legal Citations
Source Citations
- 21-A Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§ 301, 302, 303, 321, 351, 354
Source and Use
How to Read This Ballot Access Data
This reference is generated from NASS Summary: State Laws Regarding Presidential Ballot Access for the General Election.
- Primary source
- NASS ballot access summary PDF
- Coverage
- General-election presidential ballot access requirements by state, as summarized by NASS.
- Use note
- Informational reference only; verify current law with the state election office, current statutes, and legal counsel.
- These entries summarize general-election presidential ballot access rules for political party nominees, petition candidates, fee access where listed, and write-in candidacies.
- Ballot access law can change through statutes, court decisions, and state election guidance. Verify requirements with the state election office before relying on them.
- This reference does not state whether any candidate has qualified for a state ballot.
- This page is informational and is not legal advice or a filing procedure guide.