Absentee Ballot Mailed!

I mailed off my absentee ballot today. Thanks to Maine's odd electoral laws, each Congressional district has a separate vote in the Electoral College, with the remaining two votes going to the candidate who won the state overall. (Nebraska is the only other state that does this.) There's speculation that McCain could make a serious effort to contest Maine's 2nd District, where I'm registered to vote. I suspect Obama is going to carry both Maine districts by several percentage points. No part of Maine has gone Republican since 1988, and I can't believe this will be the year the GOP takes it back.

There is also the Senate race, where incumbent Republican Susan Collins is probably going to win, unless something catastrophic happens to her campaign before Election Day. And in the 2nd District, Democratic Congressman Mike Michaud is probably going to be reelected by a wide margin. (GOP challenger John Frary's website is a very entertaining effort by a man who is probably fated to lose. Be sure to play the Liberty Bell March if you visit the site.)

Still, I've voted every two years since 1998, and the fact that none of the major races is particularly close this year in Maine is not going to dampen my enthusiasm.