CAMDEN/ROCKPORT — By 11:30 a.m., March 5, 300 voters in Rockport had cast ballots for their preference on who should run for president on the Democrat and Republican ticket in November. In Camden, by 11 a.m., approximately 200 voters had cast their ballots. 

Camden had already received 200 absentee ballots.

Both towns had relocated their polling location from traditional spots. In Rockport, the polls were set up in the ground floor of the Rockport Public Library, given that construction is underway in the Richardson Room at the Rockport Town Office where additional office space is being created.

In Camden, the voting was located on the third floor of the Camden Opera House. The move was made from the Public Safety Building fire engine quarters out of concern that should the weather have been winter-heavy, it would be difficult to maintain fire apparatus. Town meeting elections will return to the fire station in June.

In anticipation of voting day, the public works departments in both towns made sure there was plenty of parking. In Rockport, parking spaces had been appropriated up and down Union Street and sections of Central Street for solely voter use. In Camden, parking spots dedicated to voting day were established in front of the Opera House on Elm Street and along the sides of Washington Street.

This March 5 presidential semi-open primary is a new routine across the State of Maine, and municipalities are giving it a test run. Traditionally, the primaries have been in June, coinciding with town meeting votes, and other electoral votes. State primaries will be held June 11, with the general election Nov. 5. 

Maine’s 2024 primaries are being held under the 2022 semi-open primary law, An Act To Establish Semi-open Primaries. Unenrolled voters now have the option to vote in any party primary without having to enroll in the party. Unenrolled can pick up either ballot, and do not have to enroll in a party to do so.

This is also the first presidential primary using Maine’s ranked choice voting.

There is but one question, depending on whether a voter picks up a Democrat or Republican ballot. The latter is ranking choice of presidential candidate from four choices: Ryan Binkley, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy and Donald Trump.

Democrats are ranking Joseph Biden and Dean Phillips.

Other party members, such as Libertarians, Green Independents and No Labels, are not allowed to vote March 5. Those parties did not choose to hold presidential primaries, according to Maine’s Secretary of State Office.

In Rockport, there are 754 enrolled Republicans, 1,518 Democrats, 901 unenrolled, 95 Green Independents, 5 Libertarians, and 20 No Labels.

In Camden, there are 2,682 enrolled Democrats, 860 Republicans, 139 Green Independents, 1,248 unenrolled, and 26 No Labels.

No Labels has been an organized party since 2009 and achieved status for Maine’s 2024 elections. According to a Jan. 5 No Labels news release: “The legal requirement for an organization to get ballot access in Maine is to sign up 5,000 party members. No Labels has been working to reach voters in all 16 of the state’s counties and as of today [Jan. 5, 2024] we have a total of 9,423 No Labels party members.”

No Labels is on the ballot in 13 states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota and Utah.

Ranked-choice voting will be used in the 2024 Presidential Primary, State Primary and General elections

Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657