FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 7, 2011
Contact: Caitlin E. Chamberlain
(207) 441-0501?

Secretary of State Charles E. Summers, Jr. Reminds Voters of New Absentee Ballot Request Deadline

AUGUSTA, Maine – Secretary of State Charlie Summers would like to remind voters that the new deadline for requesting an absentee ballot is the Thursday prior to Election Day, as stated in Public Law 2011, Chapter 399. For the November 8, 2011 Referendum Election, the deadline to request an absentee ballot is Thursday, November 3, 2011.  A voter may request an absentee ballot after the deadline if they complete a special circumstances application, stating one of three allowable reasons, which are as follows:

• An unexpected absence from the municipality during the entire time the polls are open on election day;
• A physical disability, or an incapacity or illness that makes the voter unable to leave home or a treatment facility; or
• An inability to travel to the polls because the voter is a resident of a coastal island ward or precinct.

The special circumstances application must be signed by the voter. All absentee ballots must be submitted to the municipal clerk by 8:00 PM on Election Day.

For more information about absentee balloting, voter registration, and/or the upcoming Referendum Election, please visit www.maine.gov/sos/cec/ or call (207) 624-7650.