Maine Revised Statutes > Title 21-A > Chapter 1 > Subchapter 1 – Definitions, Construction and Application


§ 1	Definitions
§ 2	Delegation of authority
§ 3	Signatures and names
§ 5	Application to plantations
§ 6	Date falling on holiday
§ 7	Use of words

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Terms Used In Maine Revised Statutes > Title 21-A > Chapter 1 > Subchapter 1 - Definitions, Construction and Application

Absentee voter: means a person who qualifies under section 751 to cast an absentee ballot. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
Any election: means primary and general elections and referenda, whether regular or special. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Business day: means any day of the calendar year other than a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Candidate: means any person who has filed a petition under either sections 335 and 336 or sections 354 and 355 and has qualified as a candidate by either procedure, or any person who has received contributions or made expenditures or has given consent for any other person to receive contributions or make expenditures with the intent of qualifying as a candidate. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Central voter registration system: means a single electronic information system and database for voter registration information maintained by the Secretary of State and used by all municipal jurisdictions in the State. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Challenged ballot: means a ballot cast by one whose eligibility to vote has been questioned during election day. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Circulate: means the presenting of a petition to a voter with an accompanying request that the voter sign it. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Closed period: means that time period when the registrar may accept only those voter registration applications presented in person. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
County office: means the office of judge of probate, register of probate, county treasurer, register of deeds, sheriff, district attorney or county commissioner. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Declared write-in candidate: means a write-in candidate who has filed a declaration to be a write-in candidate pursuant to section 722?A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
Disputed ballot: means a ballot whose validity has been questioned during the recount process. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Distinguishing mark: means a mark on a ballot of a type or in a place not specifically permitted by this Title, which indicates the apparent intent of the voter to make the voter's ballot distinguishable in a manner that is fraudulent or inconsistent with an honest purpose. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Domestic partner: means one of 2 unmarried adults who are domiciled together under long-term arrangements that evidence a commitment to remain responsible indefinitely for each other's welfare. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
Election official: means a warden, ward clerk, deputy warden or election clerk. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Election year: means the calendar year within which a particular election is held. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1
Elections determined by ranked-choice voting: means any of the following elections in which 3 or more candidates have qualified to be listed on the ballot for a particular office or at least 2 such candidates plus one or more declared write?in candidates have qualified for that particular office:

A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Electoral division: means an area set off for election purposes. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Enroll: means to enlist as a member of a political party. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Federal office: means the office of the United States Senator or Representative to Congress. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

General election: means the regular election of state and county officials occurring biennially in November. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.

Immediate family: means a person's spouse, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sister, half-sister, brother, half-brother, stepparent, stepgrandparent, stepchild, stepgrandchild, stepsister, stepbrother, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, guardian, former guardian, domestic partner, the half-brother or half-sister of a person's spouse, or the spouse of a person's half-brother or half-sister. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Incoming voting list: means the printed list of all of the voters in a municipality that is used by election officials at a voting place to record which voters have been issued a ballot at an election. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Major party: means a political party polling the greatest or the next greatest number of votes cast for Governor at the last gubernatorial election. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

may: when used in this Title, is used in a permissive sense to grant authority or permission, but not to create duty, to act in the manner specified by the context. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 7

Member of the merchant marine: means a person, other than a member of a uniformed service or a person employed, enrolled or maintained on the Great Lakes or the inland waterways, who is:

A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Minor party: means a political party other than a major party. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

municipal clerk: means the clerk, deputy clerk or assistant clerk, where directed by the clerk to carry out duties under this Title, of a municipality. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Municipal committee: means a city, town or ward committee of a political party. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Municipal officers: means the mayor and aldermen or councillors of a city, the members of the select board or councillors of a town and the assessors of a plantation. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Municipality: means a city, town or plantation. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.

Official tally tape: means the first tape produced by an electronic tabulating machine that tallies the final vote totals at the conclusion of voting and that is attached to the zero tape produced by the machine prior to the start of voting. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Online voter registration application: means the electronic voter registration application form created by the Secretary of State pursuant to section 152 and available on the Secretary of State's publicly accessible website and through which, in accordance with the rules adopted under section 152, subsection 6, an individual may register to vote and enroll in a party or a registered voter may enroll in a party, change the voter's party enrollment, withdraw from a party or notify the appropriate registrar of voters of a change in the voter's name or address when the voter's name is changed due to marriage or other process of law or when the voter has moved within a municipality. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Overseas voter: means :

A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Party: means a political organization which has qualified to participate in a primary or general election under chapter 5. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Peace officer: means state police officer, local police officer, sheriff, deputy sheriff or constable. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Political committee: means 2 or more persons associated for the purpose of promoting or defeating a candidate, party or principle. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Pollwatcher: means a party worker who remains in the voting place outside the guardrail enclosure for the purpose of viewing the voting process, keeping track of the voters who have voted or challenging voters whose qualifications appear to be in question. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Population: means the population determined by the last Decennial Census of the United States. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.

Primary election: means the regular election for the election of nominees of a party for the general election. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Probate: Proving a will

Public counter: means a separate counter built into a voting device that records the total number of ballots cast or tabulated on the voting device for an election. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.

Public official: means a person elected or appointed to serve the people, including but not limited to an election official, municipal clerk or registrar. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Question: means any proposition submitted to the voters. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Ranked-choice voting: means the method of casting and tabulating votes in which voters rank candidates in order of preference, tabulation proceeds in sequential rounds in which last-place candidates are defeated and the candidate with the most votes in the final round is elected. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Referendum: means an election for the determination of a question. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Registrar: means the registrar or deputy registrar of voters of a municipality. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Regular election: means an election or a referendum held at a regular time prescribed by statute. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Residence: means that place where the person has established a fixed and principal home to which the person, whenever temporarily absent, intends to return. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Residence address: means the street and number or other designation indicating the physical location of a person's residence. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Signature: includes a signature stamp and a signature written by another registered voter on behalf of an individual in accordance with the procedure set forth in section 153?A and, for an individual who is unable to sign that individual's own name, a mark. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Special election: means an election other than a regular election. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

State office: means the office of Governor, State Senator, Representative to the State Legislature or presidential elector. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Statute: A law passed by a legislature.

Town: includes cities and plantations, unless otherwise expressed or implied. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72

Township: means unorganized territory. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Treasurer: means a person appointed by a candidate or a political committee to accept or disburse money to promote or defeat a candidate, party or principle. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Uncontested office: means an office where, as of the final date for filing primary nomination petitions, either:

A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Undeclared write-in candidate: means a write-in candidate who has not filed a declaration pursuant to section 722?A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Uniformed service: means the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, the commissioned corps of the United States Public Health Service and the commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Uniformed service voter: means :

A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

United States: includes territories and the District of Columbia. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72

Veto: The procedure established under the Constitution by which the President/Governor refuses to approve a bill or joint resolution and thus prevents its enactment into law. A regular veto occurs when the President/Governor returns the legislation to the house in which it originated. The President/Governor usually returns a vetoed bill with a message indicating his reasons for rejecting the measure. In Congress, the veto can be overridden only by a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House.

Voter: means a person registered to vote. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Voter participation history: means the indication in the central voter registration system of whether a voter has cast a ballot in a certain election, as reflected on the incoming voting list for that election. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Voting district: means an area set off from another in the same municipality for voting purposes. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Voting indicator: means the space provided for marking a vote in accordance with a particular type of ballot. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Voting place: means the building in which ballots are cast at an election. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

voting station: includes the area, location, booth, table or enclosure where voting takes place and includes any voting machine, voting device or accessible voting system placed in the voting booth or voting station. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Warden: means the presiding officer at a voting place. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Write-in candidate: means a person whose name does not appear on the ballot under the office designation to which a voter may wish to elect the candidate. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Write-in indicator: means the space provided, in accordance with a particular type of ballot, for marking a write-in vote. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 21-A Sec. 1

Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72