State profile
Maine
Maine is a U.S. state governed from Augusta through statewide executive offices, a bicameral Legislature, and a state court system.
- Capital
- Augusta
- Statehood
- March 15, 1820
- Counties
- 16
Page reviewed September 1, 2026
Maine boundaryUnited States Maine
Demographics and civic data
Maine Stat Overview
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Top line
Summary
Participation
Civic and elections
Households and work
Economy
People
Demographics
Homes and households
Housing
Education and services
Education and access
Government snapshot
State representation
Maine's representation combines federal districts, its bicameral legislature, statewide offices, courts, and local government.
U.S. House districts2current congressional districts
Senate35state legislative seats
House of Representatives151lower-chamber legislative seats
Counties16Census county-equivalent areas
Electoral votes4presidential-election allocation
Statehood23rdMarch 15, 1820
Current elections
2026 statewide general election
How elections work here
Election rulesRanked-choice voting with office-specific scope
Maine uses ranked-choice voting for state-level primaries and for federal offices in general elections when the statutory candidate conditions are met. General elections for governor and the Legislature are decided by plurality.
Rank candidates when RCV applies
State-level primary contests use ranked-choice tabulation when the number and type of candidates trigger the statutory rules.
RCV continues for federal offices
General elections for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and President use ranked-choice voting when applicable.
Plurality for governor and Legislature
The Maine Constitution requires general elections for governor, State Senate, and State House to be decided by plurality.
Current election
Details coming soonStatewide contests
Election history
Results coming soonPast elections
Past statewide results will remain visible here as they are added. The official archive is available now.
Election information
Candidate, referendum, and municipal-election pages are not yet available here. Use the official election details and results archive for the latest statewide information.
Government structure
How Maine government is organized
The executive, legislative, and judicial branches work alongside statewide administration and local government.
Constitutional structure
Branches of state government
The executive, legislative, and judicial branches are presented as distinct systems with direct official links.
Executive1state government
Executive branch
The Governor and statewide executive offices administer Maine law and state programs.
Explore state governmentLegislature186members
Bicameral legislature
35-member Senate and 151-member House of Representatives; legislative elections are partisan.
Explore the legislatureJudiciary1highest court
Maine Supreme Judicial Court
The judicial branch includes the Supreme Judicial Court, Superior Court, District Court, and specialized statewide courts.
Explore the courtsAdministration and local government
Statewide and local systems
Use these official links to explore election administration, local government, and the places they serve.
Elections1state authority
State election administration
The state election office publishes voter guidance, candidate records, statewide schedules, and official results.
Open election resourcesLocal government16counties
Counties
Local government arrangements vary across Maine. Use the Explorer to browse mapped counties and Find My Area to identify overlapping districts.
Browse mapped areasState reporting
News about Maine
Selected reporting about state government and elections will appear here.
State news
More reporting is coming soon
No state-level stories have been selected for this page yet. You can still browse reporting from across Paper Trail Politics.
Browse all newsAbout this page
Data coverage and sources
This page brings together statewide facts, official election information, local-area boundaries, and government sources. Items that are still being added are labeled on the page.
On this pageAvailable information
The page includes statewide facts, election information and official links, local-area boundaries, government structure, and source details.
Reviewed September 1, 2026- Statewide facts and representation
- Official election information
- Local-area boundary explorer
- Government structure and official links
- Local pages, detailed election results, and selected news are still being added
Sources used on this page6 official sources
U.S. Census Bureau
State population, land area, county boundaries, and the statewide boundary outline.
Visit official sourceMaine Secretary of State
The 2026 election schedule, voter registration, ranked-choice rules, candidate lists, and certified election results.
Visit official sourceMaine Legislature
The 35-member Senate, 151-member House of Representatives, legislation, votes, and public records.
Visit official sourceMaine Judicial Branch
Court structure, opinions, calendars, and public judicial resources.
Visit official sourceU.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey
Income, work, demographic, housing, education, internet-access, insurance, and disability measures from the 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates.
Visit official sourceNational Conference of State Legislatures
State legislative chamber sizes and total membership.
Visit official source