A voter may change the voter’s enrollment after 3 months from the date on which the voter enrolled by filing an application with the registrar personally, by mail or by submitting an online voter registration application. When a voter files an application to change enrollment on the day of a primary election, the application is deemed received the following business day. [PL 2021, c. 439, §7 (AMD); PL 2021, c. 439, §15 (AFF).]
1. Content of application. The application must contain the following information: Name of applicant, the date of birth, residence address, name of party in which enrollment is requested, signature of the applicant and the date of application. If the voter submits an online voter registration application, the applicant must meet the requirements of section 152, subsection 1, paragraph K to satisfy the signature requirement of this subsection.

[PL 2021, c. 439, §8 (AMD); PL 2021, c. 439, §15 (AFF).]

Terms Used In Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 144

  • Business day: means any day of the calendar year other than a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
  • Candidate: means any person who has filed a petition under either sections 335 and 336 or sections 354 and 355 and has qualified as a candidate by either procedure, or any person who has received contributions or made expenditures or has given consent for any other person to receive contributions or make expenditures with the intent of qualifying as a candidate. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
  • Caucus: means a meeting of a political party or committee. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
  • Caucus: From the Algonquian Indian language, a caucus meant "to meet together." An informal organization of members of the legislature that exists to discuss issues of mutual concern and possibly to perform legislative research and policy planning for its members. There are regional, political or ideological, ethnic, and economic-based caucuses.
  • Central voter registration system: means a single electronic information system and database for voter registration information maintained by the Secretary of State and used by all municipal jurisdictions in the State. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
  • Election year: means the calendar year within which a particular election is held. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
  • Enroll: means to enlist as a member of a political party. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
  • may: when used in this Title, is used in a permissive sense to grant authority or permission, but not to create duty, to act in the manner specified by the context. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 7
  • Municipality: means a city, town or plantation. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
  • Online voter registration application: means the electronic voter registration application form created by the Secretary of State pursuant to section 152 and available on the Secretary of State's publicly accessible website and through which, in accordance with the rules adopted under section 152, subsection 6, an individual may register to vote and enroll in a party or a registered voter may enroll in a party, change the voter's party enrollment, withdraw from a party or notify the appropriate registrar of voters of a change in the voter's name or address when the voter's name is changed due to marriage or other process of law or when the voter has moved within a municipality. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
  • Party: means a political organization which has qualified to participate in a primary or general election under chapter 5. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
  • Primary election: means the regular election for the election of nominees of a party for the general election. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
  • Registrar: means the registrar or deputy registrar of voters of a municipality. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
  • Residence: means that place where the person has established a fixed and principal home to which the person, whenever temporarily absent, intends to return. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
  • Signature: includes a signature stamp and a signature written by another registered voter on behalf of an individual in accordance with the procedure set forth in section 153?A and, for an individual who is unable to sign that individual's own name, a mark. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
  • Voter: means a person registered to vote. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
2. Party designation removed. On receipt of the application, the registrar shall remove the party designation of the applicant from the central voter registration system. The registrar shall indicate in the central voter registration system that the applicant is ineligible to vote at a caucus or primary election for 15 days by designating the party enrollment field with the letter “X.” Fifteen days after receiving the application, the registrar shall enroll the applicant in the party requested and enter the new party designation in the party enrollment field.
This subsection does not apply in the case of a voter who changes enrollment under subsection 4.

[PL 2005, c. 453, §27 (AMD).]

3. Restrictions during change of enrollment. Except as provided in subsection 4, a voter may not vote at a caucus, convention or primary election for 15 days after filing an application to change enrollment. A voter may sign a primary nomination petition during the 15-day period after filing an application to change enrollment, and the voter’s signature must be counted as valid, as long as the 15-day period has elapsed by the time the petition is certified pursuant to section 335, subsection 7 and the voter otherwise is qualified to sign a petition for that office. Notwithstanding subsection 4, a voter must file an application to change enrollment prior to January 1st to be eligible to file a petition as a candidate in that election year.

[PL 2013, c. 457, §2 (RPR).]

4. Change of residence. When a voter changes residence from one municipality to another and establishes a new voting residence there, that voter may enroll in any party and vote at a caucus, convention or primary election, regardless of that voter’s previous enrollment.

[PL 2013, c. 173, §2 (AMD).]

SECTION HISTORY

PL 1985, c. 161, §6 (NEW). PL 1993, c. 330, §1 (AMD). PL 1995, c. 459, §16 (AMD). PL 1997, c. 436, §31 (AMD). PL 2001, c. 310, §§7,8 (AMD). PL 2005, c. 453, §§26,27 (AMD). PL 2013, c. 131, §8 (AMD). PL 2013, c. 173, §§1, 2 (AMD). PL 2013, c. 457, §2 (AMD). PL 2017, c. 248, §§1, 2 (AMD). PL 2021, c. 439, §§7, 8 (AMD). PL 2021, c. 439, §15 (AFF).
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