New Site Will Track the Progress of Your Absentee Ballot

A new service, through the Secretary of State's office will track the progress of your absentee ballot.

Voting by mail makes some people nervous. When you're at the polls, you can put your ballot into the machine yourself, so you know it's been filed. But when you stick it in the mailbox, what happens? Does it make it to its destination? Is it counted? How do you know? For anyone with control issues, like me, it's a scary proposition.

So, Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap's office has come up with a solution. Residents who vote absentee can track the progress of their ballot through a new website. It will let you know when it's on the way to you, and then again when it's on the way to the municipal clerk's office, and when it's been accepted and counted. The website will ask for the resident's name, town, and date of birth in order to release the information.

It's just another way the state is working to make residents feel more secure about the voting process. Find more information about the options available to voters in November on the Maine Secretary of State's website. In addition, you'll find information about how to apply to help at the polls. Dunlap says workers are badly needed to make the in-person voting process as smooth and safe as possible.

Voter registration information is also available on the Secretary of State's website. If you haven't registered yet, do it today. The best way to influence change in government is to stand up and be counted. Vote.