Can Maine primary losers appear on the general election ballot? | Fact brief

Maine candidates who lose a primary election cannot appear on the general election ballot as independents or third-party candidates. They can, however, run as write-in candidates.

Maine law bars “cross-filing,” meaning a candidate may seek nomination either by party primary or by nonparty (independent) petition, “but not by both methods.”

The state’s filing deadlines also prevent double-dipping. Independent candidates must file nomination petitions with the Secretary of State’s Office by 5 p.m. on June 1 of the election year. Maine’s primary is held on the second Tuesday in June — after the June 1 filing deadline — preventing unsuccessful primary candidates from filing as independents.

Maine does allow declared write-in candidacies for the general election if they file a declaration by 5 p.m. on the 70th day before the election and otherwise meet the qualifications. But that path does not get the candidate’s name on printed ballots.