Of 378 regular elections in Maine—142 (38%) are uncontested. An uncontested election is one where the number of candidates on the ballot is less than or equal to the number of seats up for election. 

Of the 24 states where Ballotpedia is covering every election on Nov. 5, Maine has the 21st highest rate of uncontested elections. Unlike the other 23 states, however, Ballotpedia is only covering every election in Maine for towns that have more than 5,000 people.

There are at least 14 office types up for election in Maine this year. 

Clerk has the highest rate of uncontested elections at 100%. That rate for clerk mirrors two other states: Iowa and Wisconsin. Elections for the office of local judge have the next highest uncontested rate at 89%.

U.S. senator and state senator have the highest rate of contested elections at 94%. The next highest contested office types in Maine are U.S. representative and state representative at 82%, followed by city council at 61%.

Maine has a Democratic trifecta, meaning Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature. Among states with Democratic trifectas, 55% of elections are uncontested and 45% are contested. Those rates for Republican trifectas are 66% and 34%, respectively. In states with a divided government, 56% of elections are uncontested and 44% are contested. 

Through October 2024, Ballotpedia has covered 36,068 elections in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and four territories in 2024 alone. Of that total, 27,164 (75%) were uncontested and 8,904 (25%) were contested. To learn more about this analysis, click here!