| Congressional Boundaries | Drawn by legislature with advisory commission |
| State Boundaries | Drawn by legislature with advisory commission |
| Governor's Party | Democratic |
| Legislative Party | Democratic |
Scored Maps from the Redistricting Report Card
| Maine 2021 Final State Senate Map - Enacted | Metrics calculated | Mon Oct 11 2021 |
| Maine 2021 Final Congressional Map - Enacted | Metrics calculated | Mon Oct 11 2021 |
| Maine 2021 Final State House Map | Metrics calculated | Mon Oct 11 2021 |
Communities of Interest
Check out Communities of Interest collected in this state on Representable
Learn about Communities of Interest in this state
Census-related Redistricting Timeline Delays
State Legislative
Alert: Guarded| Final Map Deadline | 2021-09-30 |
| Deadline Type | Constitutional (commission submission) |
| Other Dates |
|
| News Sources | Maine’s supreme court extends deadline for Legislature to redraw voting districts |
| Additional Notes | Court granted extension to 45 days after receipt of Census data |
| Actions Proposed in State | Court extension |
Congressional
Alert: Guarded| Final Map Deadline | 2021-09-30 |
| Deadline Type | Constitutional (commission submission) |
| Other Dates |
|
| News Sources | Maine’s supreme court extends deadline for Legislature to redraw voting districts |
| Additional Notes | Court granted extension to 45 days after receipt of Census data |
| Actions Proposed in State | Court extension |
Process
State Legislature
The primary responsibility for state legislative and congressional redistricting rests with the Maine Legislature, which must adopt a plan by a two-thirds vote in both chambers, subject to gubernatorial veto.
Advisory Commission
Per Maine’s state constitution (Art. IV 3rd § 1-A), the process must be guided by a 15-member advisory commission, which is comprised of politicians and members of the public, divided equally between the two major parties, and chaired by an independent. The commission recommends state legislative and congressional plans to the Legislature, which can accept, modify, or reject the proposals.
Criteria
In addition to the federal requirements of one person, one vote and the Voting Rights Act, Maine’s state constitution requires that state legislative (Art. IV 1st § 2) and congressional (Art. IX § 24) districts be compact, contiguous, and preserve political subdivisions.
Public Input
The advisory commission is constitutionally required to hold public hearings on any plans before submitting to the Legislature. There was at least one public hearing held in August 2011 to gather public input.
2011 Cycle
In the 2011 redistricting cycle, an independent voter brought a federal challenge (Turcotte v. LaPage) arguing that the two major political parties had too much control over the redistricting process and were disproportionately represented in the advisory commission, diluting the voice of unaffiliated voters. The case was dismissed.
Issues
Timeline
In the last redistricting cycle, Maine would have drawn new congressional districts in 2013, after the 2012 elections, per existing state law. However, a federal lawsuit challenging the unequal population of districts led the court to order the Legislature to draw maps before the elections. In 2013, a bill was passed to permanently set the deadline for redistricting in the first year of the decade (e.g. 2021).
Actions
Defend the advisory system while advocating for further reforms:
- Write to your local news organization in support of the advisory commission.
- Contact your state legislators to voice your desire for fair redistricting.
- Read the Common Cause Activist Handbook on Redistricting Reform to learn about what reforms have been successful in the past, and what steps to take to enact reform in the future.
In 2021, participate in the Legislature’s public input process.
- Obtain Maine redistricting data from OpenPrecincts.
- Start to plan out what defines your community – whether it’s a shared economic interest, school districts, or other social or other cultural, historical, or economic interests – and how that can be represented on a map. This will come in handy once the advisory commission starts collecting feedback.
- Use software tools such as Dave's Redistricting App and Districtr to draw district maps showing either (a) what a fair map would look like, or (b) where the community you believe should be better represented is located.
Contacts
League of Women Voters of Maine