Voting in Portland
GENERAL & MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
Where to Vote & Polling Locations
Where to Vote: Find your polling place.
Hours: Polls open at 7 am and close at 8 pm on Election Day. All polling locations are ADA compliant.
Locations: View a List of Portland Polling Places.
How to Register: In order to register to vote, you must fill out the Voter Registration Application (PDF) and provide documents that show Proof of Identity (PDF) and proof of residency. A driver’s license or state identification card with the current address meets both criteria.
If you mail in your voter registration card, you must send Proof of Identity (PDF) such as a photocopy of your driver’s license or other ID or an acceptable form that shows Residency. To learn more, visit the State of Maine Voter Information Page.
CITY OF PORTLAND BALLOT | NOVEMBER 7, 2023
Open Municipal Seats
(3 Year term & 1 seat unless stated otherwise)
- Mayor (4 Year Term)
- City Council District Four
- City Council District Five
- City Council At-Large
- School Board District Four
- School Board District Five
- School Board At-Large
- Peaks Island Council (4 Seats)
- Portland Water District (5 Year Term)
Portland Ballot Initiatives
QUESTION A: Do you favor the change in the city ordinance proposed by citizen petition as summarized below?
An Act to Amend Portland’s Rent-Control Ordinance will ensure that anyone with an ownership interest in nine or fewer rental units in the City of Portland will not be subject to the provisions of the city’s rent control ordinance.
QUESTION B: Question B: Do you favor the change in the City Charter proposed by the City Council as provided in the summary below?
This amendment to the Portland City Charter approves gender-inclusive language, including non-gendered language and gender-neutral pronouns, throughout the City Charter.
QUESTION C: Do you favor the change in the City Charter proposed by the City Council as provided in the summary below?
The amendment requires the City Clerk to make nomination petitions available 155 days prior to the election rather than the current 127 days and requires nomination petitions to be turned in no later than 99 days prior to the election rather than the current 71 days. The amendment also removes the earliest date a candidate can file nomination petitions, allowing a candidate to file once the candidate has received the required number of signatures.
Maine Ballot Initiatives
QUESTION 1: Do you want to bar some quasi-governmental entities and all consumer-owned electric utilities from taking on more than $1 billion in debt unless they get statewide voter approval?
QUESTION 2: Do you want to ban foreign governments and entities that they own, control, or influence from making campaign contributions or financing communications for or against candidates or ballot questions?
QUESTION 3: Do you want to create a new power company governed by an elected board to acquire and operate existing for-profit electricity transmission and distribution facilities in Maine?
QUESTION 4: Do you want to require vehicle manufacturers to standardize on-board diagnostic systems and provide remote access to those systems and mechanical data to owners and independent repair facilities?
QUESTION 5: Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to change the time period for judicial review of the validity of written petitions from within 100 days from the date of filing to within 100 business days from the date of filing of a written petition in the office of the Secretary of State, with an exception for petitions filed within 30 calendar days before or after a general election?
QUESTION 6: Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to require that all of the provisions of the Constitution be included in the official printed copies of the Constitution prepared by the Secretary of State?
QUESTION 7: Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to remove a provision requiring a circulator of a citizen’s initiative or people’s veto petition to be a resident of Maine and a registered voter in Maine, requirements that have been ruled unconstitutional in federal court?
QUESTION 8: Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to remove a provision prohibiting a person under guardianship for reasons of mental illness from voting for Governor, Senators and Representatives, which the United States District Court for the District of Maine found violates the United States Constitution and federal law?
RESEARCHING YOUR 2023 BALLOT
Sample of Portland Municipal Ballot Sample of Maine State Ballot
Voting information is available in the languages listed below:
Voter au Maine (en français) Votar em Maine (em português) Codaynta Maine (af soomaali) ( بالعربية) التصويت في مين 让您的选票发挥作用 Bỏ phiếu Votar en Maine (en español)
Candidates for Portland City Council
Candidates for Portland School Board
Maine Citizen’s Guide to the Referendum Election
Analysis of State Owned Electric Utility
Did you know that the Portland Public Library offers free public access to the most trusted newspapers?
Access the Portland Press Herald
Meet Portland’s Candidates for Mayor
Portland Public Library hosted a recent debate of the candidates for Portland Mayor with Herb Adams as the moderator. To view a video of the event please visit the Portland Media Center website or click on the image below. PPL would like to thank the Portland Media Center for recording the event and graciously offering it to our community.
Pious Ali
Age: 54
Education: Grew up in Ghana and worked as a photojournalist before coming to the U.S. in 2000
Profession: Founding director of Portland Empowered
Political experience: City Council 2016 – present, Portland Board of Public Education 2013 – 2016
Community groups: Board member at Seeds of Peace International, the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine, AARP Maine and the Center for Regional Prosperity. Founding board member and current board president at I’m Your Neighbor Books and founding board member at Generational Noor
Party: Democrat
Website: piousformayor.com
Justin Costa
Age: 40
Education: Bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University, law degree from University of Maine School of Law
Profession: Manager in accounting and finance at Auto Europe
Political experience: Portland Board of Public Education 2008 – 2014, City Council 2014 – 2020
Community groups: None
Party: Democrat
Website: justincosta.org
Mark Dion
Age: 68
Education: Bachelor’s degree in criminology from University of Southern Maine, master’s degree in human services administration from Antioch College, law degree from University of Maine School of Law, Harvard Kennedy School senior executive program in state and local government
Profession: Private practice lawyer specializing in criminal defense and cannabis issues, former Cumberland County sheriff and deputy police chief in Portland
Political experience: City Council 2020 – present, Maine Senate 2016 – 2018, Maine House 2010 – 2016
Community groups: None
Party: Democrat
Website: dionforportland.com
Dylan Pugh
Age: 34
Education: Bachelor’s degree in creative writing and sustainable business from College of the Atlantic, associate degree in software engineering from Southern Maine Community College
Profession: Software engineer at Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Political experience: None
Community groups: Mentor and volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters Southern Maine
Party: Democrat
Website: dylanforportlandmayor.org
Andrew Zarro
Age: 35
Education: Bachelor’s degree in applied economics from the University of Vermont; Master of Public Administration from Northeastern University
Profession: Nonprofit manager at StartOut
Political experience: City Council 2020 – present
Community groups: Portland Public Library Trustee, Greater Portland Metro Board Member, Creative Portland Board, Back Cove Neighborhood Association Board, Friends of Woodfords Corner Board. Formerly involved in Portland Global Shapers and Friends of Woodfords Corner Board.
Party: Democrat
Website: zarroforportland.com