Every four years, the nation holds its breath as the people of the United States elect the next leader of the country. Absentee ballots flood the mail in a steady stream and citizens outline their schedules to find time to visit the polls on November 5th for election day. The 2024 election is a tense race on a razor-thin line, and today the hand of the country rises to flip the coin. However, we likely won’t know exactly which way it will land until later in the week.
In Bangor this morning, the polls opened to the public at 7 a.m. with many local politicians standing on site to greet voters as they made their way through the doors. The citizens of Bangor are able to cast their ballots at the Cross Insurance Center, on 515 Main Street, with many staff members available to offer assistance with the process of registration and voting throughout the day.
The polls will remain open until 8 p.m., however, anyone already in line to vote at that time will be permitted to do so even past the deadline. It is encouraged that any potential voters concerned about arriving minutes before closing still attempt to make their way to the line so that they may cast their ballots.
Nearly half of US states allow citizens to register to vote on election day, while others may have earlier deadlines. Maine is one of few states that offer no restrictions on same-day registration for voting, meaning that as long as you have your paperwork, you can arrive at the polling station at any point to register and vote in the same trip.
To register, you must provide proof of identification and proof of residency in the municipality where you are attempting to register. These documents can include a photo ID or driver’s license (which can be out of state) and a bank statement, lease agreement, or any other legal documentation that declare your address.
According to Polling Warden Cathy Lemin, voter turn-out around 10 a.m. was standing at 1,500 people, with updated numbers to be released throughout the day. These numbers were “as expected” and consistent with the staggering amount of early and absentee voters, which exceeded 9,000 ballots in Bangor alone. These statistics may be explained by the divisive nature at the federal level of the 2024 election, with many people motivated to act quickly to ensure they get their votes in.
Although the subject of the most discussion is the federal election for the presidency, the Bangor ballots highlight a vast array of matters down to the local level, such as members of city council, state representatives, allocation of city funding and the potential reversion of the state flag from the pine tree design back to the original 1909 flag.
Even at a glance, the majority of in-person voters today exceeded 40 years of age. It is a well-supported observation that older generations tend to feel more motivated to vote more than younger generations.
However, this is not to say that younger people were absent during the election today. Civic engagement outreach organization Maine Youth Power (MYP) was present and engaged in “vote tripling.” As explained by member Gwen Moss, “We tell people at the polls to text any two friends to get a donut and a sticker, to get more people to go out to the polls.” As voters exited the polls, they would find the table that MYP set up and be offered to stop and remind their friends and family to vote.
Methods such as the ones employed above are some of many attempts to continue to engage potential voters. As Bangor Voter Karen Sichters stated: “I always vote, I made sure all my children will always vote. The presidential election is far too important to miss this year.” There is a feeling of civic duty present in many who take their time to vote in every election and encourage others to do the same.
Even beyond the presidential race, change within the country occurs everywhere- from within a city or state, to nationally. First-time Voter and Husson University Student Ryell Keeton offered words of his own on what brought him to the election: “It’s at every level. I think people should just vote because people want change. But how can you get change when you have a voice that you’re not using? So I just thought I’d come out and vote.”
He then expressed that he found issues that surprised him during voting. His words encourage the people of Maine and the United States as a whole not to pass by their opportunity to exercise their rights to vote and use their voices to direct the country forward.
“I found out about stuff today that I didn’t even realize you could vote on, like a gun law for people who may not be in the right mental space… so there’s many things to come vote about,” said Keeton. “Obviously the presidency, that’s the biggest one, but whatever you feel like you could come vote about, you could make a change.”
And once the doors to the ballots close today, the waiting period begins.
This post was originally published on here
