Here are some facts regarding voter registration in Maine.

If you mail in a new voter registration card to the town clerk, it must be received by Oct. 16. The same is true for organizations running voter registration drives; they must submit the cards by Oct. 16.

However, any individual voter can arrive at the polls on Election Day and register to vote right then. Maine has what’s called “Same-Day Voter Registration.” A voter new in town or new to voting who wants to register at the polls should bring proof of residency, such as a utility bill they’re received at that local address, a rental lease, a paycheck, or a form of ID that lists that address. If they don’t have that, they can still vote with a provisional ballot, which means that their address will need to be verified for their ballot to count if the election is close.

Town clerks are busy in the weeks before an election and on Election Day. It is helpful to go to the town office and register in advance of Election Day. But if you don’t have a chance to do that, you still are able to take advantage of Same-Day Voter Registration. The non-partisan League of Women Voters of Maine has an informative website that explains all the rules around voting in Maine: http://lwvme.org/elections.html.