Maine Department of the Secretary of State

09/04/2026

Have you checked out one of 's agricultural fairs yet this season? 🐃🎡🐴
Fair schedule: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/ard/events/fairs/index.shtml

One of Maine’s most distinctive fall traditions is almost here! Each September, the fields of Unity become a small village as tens of thousands gather for the Common Ground Country Fair — a celebration of organic agriculture, Maine-grown food, traditional skills, sustainability, and community.

With roots in Maine’s back-to-the-land movement of the 1970s, Common Ground has grown into one of the largest organic agricultural fairs in the United States.

Selected as one of the 250 Maine Icons of the Maine Atlas 250 project, Common Ground represents a very Maine combination of agriculture, ingenuity, stewardship, and community.

Planning to attend the 50th Annual Common Ground Country Fair September 25-27? Discover the story behind the fair: https://www.maine.gov/sos/maineatlas/explore-the-atlas/common-ground-fair

09/04/2026

State offices will be closed Monday, Sept. 7 in recognition of . Wishing everyone a safe & enjoyable !

08/31/2026

The IRS advises business owners to beware of websites that charge for an EIN – you NEVER have to pay a fee for an EIN. Visit the IRS website for information: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/get-an-employer-identification-number

08/31/2026

Many students are heading this week, a perfect time to remind Maine Teachers that Maine State Archives is available as a valuable learning resource! Students, teachers, or anyone interested in Maine’s past can find millions of primary source documents to help research, teach, or explore Maine’s fascinating history.

Bring your students to the Archives: https://www.maine.gov/sos/archives/archives-services/educational-programs

Or let them explore the Archives holdings online: https://digitalarchives.maine.gov/

Maine Teachers! Don’t forget that Maine State Archives is here for you as a valuable learning resource.

Students, teachers, or anyone interested in Maine’s past can find millions of primary source documents to help research, teach, or explore Maine’s fascinating history.

Bring your students to the Archives: https://www.maine.gov/sos/archives/archives-services/educational-programs

Or let them delve online themselves: https://digitalarchives.maine.gov/

We hope it’s a great school year for you!

08/28/2026

The 's days are quickly waning - just 2 weekends left before Labor Day! What's on your list to enjoy in this weekend? The is a great place to look for ideas & learn more about our great state! https://www.maine.gov/sos/maineatlas/

In 1607 at the mouth of the Kennebec River on Hossketch Point, a group of 100 English colonizers led by Captain George Popham established a fragile foothold settlement 13 years before the Pilgrams landed in Plimouth. The Popham Colony was the first organized attempt by the English to establish a col...

08/28/2026

𝗙𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹-𝗶𝗻 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: A federal judge in Boston blocked the Trump administration from interfering with states’ rights to conduct mail-in voting for the upcoming November elections, now 67 days away. Judge Indira Talwani ruled yesterday that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in proving the administration’s order was unconstitutional.

“Last night’s decision was wonderful news for Maine voters who rely on absentee voting,” Secretary Bellows said. “The judge made clear that the states, not the federal government, are in charge of elections. That goes to the heart of our legal fights in court against the Trump Administration. We will continue to stand with other states and voting rights advocates across the nation to defend the voting rights – including the right to vote by mail – for every citizen.”

In the decision, Judge Talwani wrote, “the Constitution charges the States with election administration” going on to say that no law has been passed by Congress that “would permit the USPS to regulate election mail.” The judge went even further to note that with just two months to the election, it would an expensive and likely impossible task for the 2026 election, saying, “Plaintiff States face irreparable harm where they are required to comply with a likely unconstitutional regulation for which compliance is practically impossible.”

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟬𝟴-𝟮𝟳-𝟮𝟲 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿: https://tinyurl.com/afpvdr7h

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲: https://www.maine.gov/sos/news/federal-judge-blocks-attempts-restrict-mail-voting

08/27/2026

𝟲𝟴 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟯! 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?
🗳️𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: https://registertovote.sos.maine.gov/
🗳️𝗙𝗔𝗤𝘀/𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗩𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲: https://www.maine.gov/sos/elections-voting/state-of-maine-voter-guide

08/27/2026

Maine State Archivist elected to national archivist board.

On August 6, Maine's State Archivist, Christian Cotz, was elected to a 3-year seat on the Board of Directors of the Council of State Archivists (CoSA).

During his tenure, Cotz and the board will help set policies for CoSA, provide leadership, be responsible for strategic planning and program development, and represent CoSA to allied organizations and friends.

"I'm excited to welcome Christian to the group. He's a newer voice in our community," says CoSA Executive Director Joy Banks. "I expect he will provide valuable contributions to our conversations about how we can better prepare the next generation of leaders in the field of state/territorial government archives and records management programs."

If you'd like to learn more about CoSA and how it helps protect historical documents, such as the ones housed within our stacks, head to their website at statearchivists.org.

08/26/2026

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows today issued the following statement in response to 24 states and the District of Columbia filing a lawsuit today challenging the U.S. Postal Service’s finalized anti-mail voting rule:

“This is not over. Today, Maine joined states across the country in filing a lawsuit to stop this unconstitutional attack on every American who votes by mail. It is unconscionable that the Trump Administration and the U.S. Postal Service would try to change the rules around voting by mail. With Election Day now just 69 days away and voting for military and overseas voters less than a month away, it's important for Maine voters to realize that nothing has changed when it comes to the fundamental voting rights of every American in this country. You can still vote by mail. Even though Trump and the U.S. Postal Service seem to be doing their best to try to stop that, they have not yet been successful."

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲: https://www.maine.gov/sos/news/secretary-bellows-statement-regarding-lawsuit-filed-coalition-states-regarding-usps-anti-mail

𝗟𝗮𝘄𝘀𝘂𝗶𝘁:https://www.maine.gov/sos/sites/maine.gov.sos/files/inline-files/1-complaint-cal-v-usps.pdf

08/26/2026

𝗪𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 “𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲-𝗜𝗻” 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘀 – 𝘀𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻? in elections, if a voter writes in the name of someone who is not a “Declared Write-In Candidate” – a candidate who formally submitted to the Elections Dept. prior to deadline that they wished to run as a write-in candidate – that selection is treated as a blank vote. A list of declared candidates can be found at your local polling location on Election Day as well as on our website: https://www.maine.gov/sos/elections-voting/upcoming-elections