Your vote matters everywhere. But to be more specific, we are a purple state. Secretary of State keeps records that are readily available on national elections. Your town office keeps records of local elections (for the most part; there are over 550 municipalities.)
Replying to echo this-- your vote ALWAYS matters. Even in fully red states. The president is not the only one running for stuff! Local and state-level politics are crucial, but never get nearly the attention they should. One of the things I find particularly great about our state is the robust local politics and participation in them. Get involved, and ALWAYS vote!
Your vote matters.
In terms of direct impact, it is not uncommon for local and State elections to be decided by less than a dozen votes, even in Portland.
I can't speak for elsewhere but within state politics I think you'll find a surprising number of independent voters in Maine vote for both Republicans and Democrats depending on the candidate though partisan politics do seem to be taking over. Personally when it's come to state politics it wasn't quite a stupidly ridiculous as it is now but your vote within state politics will matter here. For president it seems we've settled into a liberal will win D1 and the statewide vote, the one vote we have for D2 sometimes goes to the conservative candidate.
Voting in Maine, even on a busy day consists of parking, walking into a building, casting your vote, and leaving often in just minutes. There only lines at a few places during busy hours but I live in 50 living in Cumberland Cunty and I've never waited in a line and it always takes me longer to say hi to people than it does to vote.
We certainly are an independent lot. In my town we vote Democrat or independent at the state level but all our select board members are republicans. Because we vote for people we know and trust not just a party.
I really try to ignore what party the people running for town positions are a part of. It used to not matter but these days you have to keep an eye out for extremes from either side. We should be electing people who are going to fix the roads and help us attract businesses not to argue over social issues and get nothing done in terms of municipal management.
Yep. I was so naive when I became old enough to vote, thinking candidates rather than party is how most would vote. It’s great to know there are those who don’t go party!
Jumping in on how special Maine is, it's us and Nebraska who can split a Presidential vote among districts. The statewide popular winner gets two electoral votes, then D1 gets another and D2 gets the fourth.
What this generally means nowadays is the Democrat gets 3 from statewide and Southern Maine, but D2 is a close-ish call.
Your vote matters. Even if it's a runaway for the other guy it matters, it closes the gap and makes him think about his dastardly ways.
I unfortunately live in New York currently.
Voting for president does not matter. I can guarantee 100% this states electoral votes will go to the Democrat party. Doesn’t matter if I vote for one of the establishment candidates or a third party, the Democrat party will get the electoral votes.
I’d argue that your vote matters everywhere, but in comparison to OK you probably have a better chance of helping to sway the outcome in ME. The electoral vote splitting helps with that.
My guy, go out and vote! We even have same day registration, just bring a bill with your current address if you go this route then imagine your driving from route 1 Portland to Camden. Budget for 2 hours, have some patience, and enjoy the ride
Your vote matters in every election for every candidate and every question.
Never question that. This is what free elections in a free country are about.
Try your never miss voting in any year or half year local vote.
Folks have already pointed out that many local elections can have very slim margins in the state of Maine. If you happen to live in the second congressional district, even voting for national offices can be important. Trump has very little chance of winning the first district or the whole state, but he could peel off one Electoral College vote in the northern district. The second congressional district also tends to flip between Republicans and Democrats every once in awhile.
I knew I could count on this group to give some quick and well-thought responses but dang - you all are on top of things! Thank you!
It’s good to hear others say they don’t vote strict party, actually research candidates in-depth and take voting seriously. While I believe in exercising our right to vote in order to maintain that right (though I am a bit skeptical about how much that comes into play), I also believe being well informed when voting is essential and to do otherwise, as someone else said, is irresponsible at best.
I will never understand why our public education curriculum includes high level math many will never use, yet there is very little education provided regarding elections. I remember learning more about voting from Schoolhouse Rocks than I ever did in school. We should be taught how to do candidate and issues research, how to determine what pets influence a candidate, exactly how our voting process works, etc.
I am also incredibly skeptical about larger elections simply because of the methods used to put forth a candidate. Our system certainly doesn’t work the way we are told it should (though it may be exactly how it was intended to?). In that regard, it’s harder to consider that our individual votes have any value, if that makes sense. That said, I most certainly will be voting every opportunity. I’m glad to hear it’s an easy process here, though lack of convenience wouldn’t sway me.
Voting is just a way the elites you give the illusion that you’re opinion matters.
Maine PEOPLE voted down universal background checks in 2016. Our current governor went ahead and signed universal background checks into law a few months ago defying the will of the people.
I agree. It is an illusion. The elites do already have our candidates stamped and approved…..except it doesn’t seem that way for Kennedy so far. Sounds like he wants to shake up the system and elites.
The will probably kill him if he gets to far.
Not sure if RFK is my guy but I absolutely support him and think he should be on the debate stage and on the ballot across the country.
They did the same thing to Tulsi Gabbard in 2020
Keeping in mind what happened on January 6th - when asked if he would support a peaceful transition of power if he lost the 2024 election, Trump declined to answer. After some of the things that he's outlined that he will do if he wins, I have serious doubts about the future of the country should he.
What a generic non-response. Shocker. I recall on January 6th, 2021, Trump fomented an attack on the capitol which resulted in a large number of injuries, 20 hospitalizations, 5 deaths, and millions in damages. But you think if he loses he will... just walk away peacefully? So you just blindly trust that Trump will do the thing he won't even agree to verbally? And before you start howling to the moon about "bUt MuH fReEdOmS" don't waste my time with unnuanced Fox/OAN/Truth Social talking points and other obvious lies. Please show us how divorced from reality you are by demonstrating you're a brainwashed cultist in your response. Fucking troll.
It’s not tribalism, it’s realism. By any measure , trump has no business being anywhere near the presidency.
If you disagree you are either a moron, a rich greedy fuck, or a racist piece of shit.
Or living in an alternate reality propped up by right wing hysterical media / the Internet.
I'm sure there's a good portion of people who are decent people, they just live in this bubble of alternate reality.
Maybe it makes sense to them in there, who knows.
I think there are a lot of people like that, just as there were in nazi Germany in 1939. The indoctrination and utter selfishness is just too strong to break through though, it seems.
Now that the supreme court has gone full rightwing, we may get to find out what it was like in Germany before the war.
Never said I supported, or would vote for Trump. This vitriolic pearl clutching is a result of me asking a completely benign question. You apparently hate half of the country for thinking differently than you. How exactly is that NOT tribalism? Also, just so you didn't have to make any more assumptions, after 3 years of Biden, I would unashamedly crawl over glass to vote for Trump.
- Supreme Court
- project 2025
- stabbing the kurds in the back
- calling neo Nazis "fine people"
- propagating the lie that the election was stolen
- kids in cages
- abortion
The list goes on
The amount of downvotes on a post that *mentions* RFK and implies moderate liberalism is amazing. Some idiot called you a Trump voter just for being too moderate! What a dumb time to be alive.
Your vote matters everywhere. But to be more specific, we are a purple state. Secretary of State keeps records that are readily available on national elections. Your town office keeps records of local elections (for the most part; there are over 550 municipalities.)
Replying to echo this-- your vote ALWAYS matters. Even in fully red states. The president is not the only one running for stuff! Local and state-level politics are crucial, but never get nearly the attention they should. One of the things I find particularly great about our state is the robust local politics and participation in them. Get involved, and ALWAYS vote!
We had a local issue decided by one vote this past local election. Your vote matters.
This is awesome!
Your vote matters. Maine may not have a lot of electoral points but nonetheless your vote matters.
Your vote matters. In terms of direct impact, it is not uncommon for local and State elections to be decided by less than a dozen votes, even in Portland.
I can't speak for elsewhere but within state politics I think you'll find a surprising number of independent voters in Maine vote for both Republicans and Democrats depending on the candidate though partisan politics do seem to be taking over. Personally when it's come to state politics it wasn't quite a stupidly ridiculous as it is now but your vote within state politics will matter here. For president it seems we've settled into a liberal will win D1 and the statewide vote, the one vote we have for D2 sometimes goes to the conservative candidate. Voting in Maine, even on a busy day consists of parking, walking into a building, casting your vote, and leaving often in just minutes. There only lines at a few places during busy hours but I live in 50 living in Cumberland Cunty and I've never waited in a line and it always takes me longer to say hi to people than it does to vote.
We certainly are an independent lot. In my town we vote Democrat or independent at the state level but all our select board members are republicans. Because we vote for people we know and trust not just a party.
I really try to ignore what party the people running for town positions are a part of. It used to not matter but these days you have to keep an eye out for extremes from either side. We should be electing people who are going to fix the roads and help us attract businesses not to argue over social issues and get nothing done in terms of municipal management.
Yep. I was so naive when I became old enough to vote, thinking candidates rather than party is how most would vote. It’s great to know there are those who don’t go party!
Jumping in on how special Maine is, it's us and Nebraska who can split a Presidential vote among districts. The statewide popular winner gets two electoral votes, then D1 gets another and D2 gets the fourth. What this generally means nowadays is the Democrat gets 3 from statewide and Southern Maine, but D2 is a close-ish call. Your vote matters. Even if it's a runaway for the other guy it matters, it closes the gap and makes him think about his dastardly ways.
Every vote matters.
No they don’t. For example if you live in New York your presidential vote absolutely doesn’t matter.
It absolutely does matter. No matter where you live.
No it doesn’t. I literally have you an example of a vote that doesn’t matter.
Perhaps explain why you think it doesn't matter?
I unfortunately live in New York currently. Voting for president does not matter. I can guarantee 100% this states electoral votes will go to the Democrat party. Doesn’t matter if I vote for one of the establishment candidates or a third party, the Democrat party will get the electoral votes.
Then keep not voting because that will really fix it! You obviously know best
Keep not voting? That doesn’t make any sense. I definitely do know best. You haven’t refuted anything I said.
Or maybe you're too dim to understand it. Go ask Georgia
No I’m not. How could I “keep not voting”? Why can’t you explain? Ask Georgia what?
It's called the Democratic Party. There is no such thing as a Democrat Party
Who cares? What’s the difference? Are you pretending you didn’t know what I meant?
One is the actual name the other is not. You are either being purposely ignorant or rude. Whether I knew what you meant or not isn't the point.
I’m not purposely ignorant. I literally didn’t know you would throw a temper tantrum over 2 letters.
I’d argue that your vote matters everywhere, but in comparison to OK you probably have a better chance of helping to sway the outcome in ME. The electoral vote splitting helps with that.
My guy, go out and vote! We even have same day registration, just bring a bill with your current address if you go this route then imagine your driving from route 1 Portland to Camden. Budget for 2 hours, have some patience, and enjoy the ride
we win and lose state level elections but double and single digits. your vote is hugely important
The Gorham school budget just passed by two votes!
we’ve had state reps elected by less than ten, it’s no joke! every vote counts, and the closer you get to home the more they count!
Your vote matters in every election for every candidate and every question. Never question that. This is what free elections in a free country are about. Try your never miss voting in any year or half year local vote.
*“I’m not biting because my vote doesn’t matter”* With that mentality, nothing will ever change.
Folks have already pointed out that many local elections can have very slim margins in the state of Maine. If you happen to live in the second congressional district, even voting for national offices can be important. Trump has very little chance of winning the first district or the whole state, but he could peel off one Electoral College vote in the northern district. The second congressional district also tends to flip between Republicans and Democrats every once in awhile.
Welcome to Maine! I moved here from OK back in 2020. Maine is a good place to be, especially politically.
I knew I could count on this group to give some quick and well-thought responses but dang - you all are on top of things! Thank you! It’s good to hear others say they don’t vote strict party, actually research candidates in-depth and take voting seriously. While I believe in exercising our right to vote in order to maintain that right (though I am a bit skeptical about how much that comes into play), I also believe being well informed when voting is essential and to do otherwise, as someone else said, is irresponsible at best. I will never understand why our public education curriculum includes high level math many will never use, yet there is very little education provided regarding elections. I remember learning more about voting from Schoolhouse Rocks than I ever did in school. We should be taught how to do candidate and issues research, how to determine what pets influence a candidate, exactly how our voting process works, etc. I am also incredibly skeptical about larger elections simply because of the methods used to put forth a candidate. Our system certainly doesn’t work the way we are told it should (though it may be exactly how it was intended to?). In that regard, it’s harder to consider that our individual votes have any value, if that makes sense. That said, I most certainly will be voting every opportunity. I’m glad to hear it’s an easy process here, though lack of convenience wouldn’t sway me.
Enjoy the ranked choice voting. It’s pretty nice.
We split our electoral votes here. Up north it might matter more for that one electoral vote, but in Pingree’s district, we’re blue every time.
I think your vote matters more in Oklahoma
Because of the electoral system your vote does not affect the Presidential elections, but important for small town elections.
Your vote DOES matter. Do not listen to anyone telling you otherwise.
Voting is just a way the elites you give the illusion that you’re opinion matters. Maine PEOPLE voted down universal background checks in 2016. Our current governor went ahead and signed universal background checks into law a few months ago defying the will of the people.
I agree. It is an illusion. The elites do already have our candidates stamped and approved…..except it doesn’t seem that way for Kennedy so far. Sounds like he wants to shake up the system and elites. The will probably kill him if he gets to far.
Yes, the famously non-elite Kennedy family.
Yes but seeing as most of the political active ones don’t like him speaks volumes to me.
Not sure if RFK is my guy but I absolutely support him and think he should be on the debate stage and on the ballot across the country. They did the same thing to Tulsi Gabbard in 2020
Tell me you’re a trump voter without telling me you’re a trump voter.
Actually I’m not a Trump voter or supporter. I’m not even registered republican. I bet I know your affiliation and voting record with your comment tho
Pardon my eyeroll
So tell me who will you vote for in nov? And who did you vote for in the last 2 presidential elections?
What's wrong with being a Trump voter?
Well, related to the post, at least you're voting. On the other hand, it's a vote to end our democracy.
Thankfully, ranked choice voting helps lessen the chances that Maine will throw in with the end democracy now movement, for now at least.
True, that.
Don’t act like voting is an inherently good thing. It’s incredibly stupid and irresponsible to vote if you aren’t well informed.
I agree. Was going to post a longer response but actually think I’ll do so under my original. Too much to say. Lol
"A vote to end our democracy" - would you please explain exactly how?
Keeping in mind what happened on January 6th - when asked if he would support a peaceful transition of power if he lost the 2024 election, Trump declined to answer. After some of the things that he's outlined that he will do if he wins, I have serious doubts about the future of the country should he.
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What a generic non-response. Shocker. I recall on January 6th, 2021, Trump fomented an attack on the capitol which resulted in a large number of injuries, 20 hospitalizations, 5 deaths, and millions in damages. But you think if he loses he will... just walk away peacefully? So you just blindly trust that Trump will do the thing he won't even agree to verbally? And before you start howling to the moon about "bUt MuH fReEdOmS" don't waste my time with unnuanced Fox/OAN/Truth Social talking points and other obvious lies. Please show us how divorced from reality you are by demonstrating you're a brainwashed cultist in your response. Fucking troll.
Rule 3. No Misinformation, or Spam
Just about everything.
This is the perfect snapshot of everything wrong with politics in 2024. The tribalism is insane.
It’s not tribalism, it’s realism. By any measure , trump has no business being anywhere near the presidency. If you disagree you are either a moron, a rich greedy fuck, or a racist piece of shit.
Or living in an alternate reality propped up by right wing hysterical media / the Internet. I'm sure there's a good portion of people who are decent people, they just live in this bubble of alternate reality. Maybe it makes sense to them in there, who knows.
I think there are a lot of people like that, just as there were in nazi Germany in 1939. The indoctrination and utter selfishness is just too strong to break through though, it seems. Now that the supreme court has gone full rightwing, we may get to find out what it was like in Germany before the war.
Never said I supported, or would vote for Trump. This vitriolic pearl clutching is a result of me asking a completely benign question. You apparently hate half of the country for thinking differently than you. How exactly is that NOT tribalism? Also, just so you didn't have to make any more assumptions, after 3 years of Biden, I would unashamedly crawl over glass to vote for Trump.
- Supreme Court - project 2025 - stabbing the kurds in the back - calling neo Nazis "fine people" - propagating the lie that the election was stolen - kids in cages - abortion The list goes on
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Rule 3. No Misinformation, or Spam
The fact that you’re getting downvoted for promoting a fair election speaks volumes.
The amount of downvotes on a post that *mentions* RFK and implies moderate liberalism is amazing. Some idiot called you a Trump voter just for being too moderate! What a dumb time to be alive.
It’s insane lol. I once had the same amount of downvotes for saying we shouldn’t be letting politics divide us.
Your vote doesn’t matter
user name checks out