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LD 1148

An Act To Improve Access To Absentee Ballots For Municipal Elections For Uniformed Service Voters And Overseas Voters

132nd Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Annie Graham and 5 co-sponsors

Secretary of State will study extending municipal absentee ballots to uniformed service and overseas voters to mirror statewide access, with minor absorbable costs.

Signed by Governor
#absenteevoting #elections #overseasvoters
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Bill Summary · LD 1148

Summary — LD 1148 (132nd Maine Legislature)

Title: An Act To Improve Access To Absentee Ballots For Municipal Elections For Uniformed Service Voters And Overseas Voters
Status: Signed by Governor (May 30, 2025)
Introduced: March 18, 2025
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs

Purpose

The bill’s stated aim is to improve access to absentee ballots for uniformed service voters and overseas voters for municipal elections, aligning municipal absentee procedures with protections already in place for federal and statewide elections.

What was enacted (as amended)

  • The bill was amended (Committee Amendment "A" (H-188)) and passed in that form. The enacted measure is a Resolve directing the Secretary of State to study whether and how to provide access to absentee ballots for municipal elections to uniformed service voters and overseas voters in the same manner as they receive absentee ballots for statewide elections.
  • The study is to be performed and reported by the Secretary of State. The fiscal note for the enacted Resolve indicates any additional costs to the Secretary of State for conducting the study and reporting are expected to be minor and absorbable within existing budgeted resources.

Key provisions in the original (unamended) bill — for context

The original bill (not the enacted version) would have:
- Required municipalities to provide copies of their local ballots to the Secretary of State for municipal elections held on the same date as statewide elections.
- Made absentee ballot applications or requests by uniformed service voters and overseas voters valid for 18 months for municipal elections that coincide with statewide elections — matching existing 18-month validity for federal and state elections.
- Required the Secretary of State to receive local ballots from municipalities and issue those ballots to uniformed service and overseas voters.

Fiscal impact

  • Enacted version (Resolve directing a study): Minor General Fund cost; can be absorbed within current budgeted resources (fiscal notes dated 05/08/25 and 05/21/25).
  • Original bill (pre-amendment) projected substantial costs to the Secretary of State: approximately $1,558,869 in FY2025‑26 and $1,165,525 in FY2026‑27 (fiscal note 04/17/25). Those projections reflected staffing (1 Public Service Manager I, 4 Public Service Coordinator I), rent, ballot printing, and operational costs. The original bill also could have constituted a state mandate on municipalities, potentially triggering the Constitution of Maine’s local funding rules.

Who is affected

  • Primary beneficiaries: Uniformed service voters and overseas voters (UOCAVA population) seeking absentee ballots for municipal elections that fall on the same day as statewide elections.
  • Government entities: Secretary of State (to conduct the study and potentially to implement future changes) and municipalities (would have been affected under the original language by new ballot-provision duties).

Legislative timeline / actions

  • Introduced: March 18, 2025 (referred to Veterans & Legal Affairs).
  • Committee work, amendment adoption: April–May 2025; Committee Amendment "A" (H-188) adopted.
  • Passed: May 27, 2025 (concurrence).
  • Signed by Governor: May 30, 2025.

Next steps

  • The Secretary of State will conduct the directed study and report its findings. The enacted Resolve does not, in the available documents, specify the study’s deadline or the exact reporting date; consult the final enrolled bill text or the Secretary of State’s office for timing and the study report once completed.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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