Elections - General Info

If you are interested in serving at the polls or during an election, please complete and return the application or contact the Town Clerk's office.

Town Elections

Annual Town Meeting is held on the first and second Tuesdays in June. This is what's known as a bifurcated town meeting. The first Tuesday is the first portion, the open floor town meeting, with votes on the municipal and school budgets. The second Tuesday is the "secret ballot" election of town councilors, school committee members, MDI School District Trustees, and referendum--this is technically a continuation of the same Town Meeting. When Bar Harbor holds Special Town Meetings, they usually are scheduled to coincide with a November election.

State and Federal Elections

The state/federal general election is held on the Tuesday following the first Monday of November. The state primary election is held on the second Tuesday of June of each general election year.

Polling Location

Elections are held in the Municipal Building Auditorium, 3rd floor

93 Cottage St

The third floor is wheelchair accessible via the east side entrance and elevator.

Voter Registration and Residency

The State of Maine allows residents to register to vote anytime, including the day of the election. Bar Harbor residents may register to vote in person at the Town Clerk's office anytime; or when changing or renewing a driver's license at the Registry of Motor Vehicles at least 25 days prior to an election.

Proof of residency and proof of identity is required, e.g. Maine driver's license showing current physical street address in Bar Harbor

Residence for voting purposes as defined in M.R.S.A. Title 21 A sec. 112, is that place where the person has established a fixed and principal home to which the person, whenever temporarily absent, intends to return. Under this definition, residence is something a person establishes, not something a person chooses. While the definition includes the person's "intent to return" to a residence, it makes it clear that the residence must in fact exist, and the person must have established it as a fixed and principal home.

Visit the State of Maine website for more voter registration information.

Absentee Ballot Application Request & Procedures

Campaign Finance Reporting

Maine law changed in 2023 to require municipal ballot question committees (BQCs) to register and file their reports with the Maine Ethics Commission rather than with the town. The Ethics Commission oversees both the filing and public disclosure of the reports and investigates any complaints surrounding the election as it pertains to its jurisdiction.

Anyone involved in municipal ballot question campaign activity is encouraged to review the Municipal BQC Guidebook. A BQC will need to register with the Ethics Commission within 7 days of raising or spending $5,000 for a referendum question. Committees can file their registration online by going to the upper right corner, select “Register” and follow the instructions to register a BQC. More information is available at the Ethics Commission website at www.maine.gov/ethics, or by calling 287-4179.

Campaign Signs

Please review the information page prepared by the town's Code Enforcement Office before procuring and placing campaign signs. For information about signage, please contact the Code Enforcement office at 288-3329.