By Lauren McCauley | Editor
“We are mindful that all eyes of the nation will be on Maine should the U.S. Senate race go to ranked choice voting.” - Shenna Bellows, Maine’s Secretary of State on how her office is preparing for a potential ranked-choice runoff.
Maine’s November 2026 ballot for U.S. Senate lists Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic nominee Troy Jackson, along with space for a write-in candidate. (Photo by Lauren McCauley/ Maine Morning Star)
ELECTION 2026
By Emma Davis
The winner of Maine’s U.S. Senate seat might not be known for days or weeks after the Nov. 3 election. That’s because the odds favor a ranked-choice runoff.
“We think there’s a huge likelihood that it’s going to happen,” Secretary of State Shenna Bellows told Maine Morning Star.
ENERGY
By Kaitlyn Budion
The Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve has only released heating oil twice in its 26-year history, and this is the first time it will be used to lower prices.
ENVIRONMENT
By Kaitlyn Budion
With no clear definition from the state for ‘environmental justice,’ a Penobscot County Superior Court justice said he can only consider state lawmakers’ intentions for the standard. And under that narrow interpretation, he has ruled that the state’s initial approval of the Juniper Ridge Landfill expansion will hold, despite concerns raised by neighboring Penobscot Nation.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Judge blocks Homeland Security from conducting election-related sweeps in 9 states | Jonathan Shorman, States Newsroom
City, state employees are proud of their work but face burnout, harassment | Kevin Hardy, Stateline
US Supreme Court allows gender-affirming care for trans people in federal prisons | Ariana Figueroa, States Newsroom
New Hampshire’s SCOTUS appeal puts student voter ID law in flux | Ethan DeWitt, New Hampshire Bulletin
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