Maine election investigations closed without answers

Maine state officials have closed investigations into two separate incidents involving mishandled absentee voting materials without providing definitive conclusions.

One investigation focused on 498 blank absentee ballot return envelopes that were sent to the Center for Civic Design, a non-profit organization. The Attorney General’s office determined there was insufficient information to issue a subpoena to UPS to obtain necessary records regarding the shipment.

A second incident involved a resident in Newburgh, Maine, who discovered 250 authentic, pre-printed absentee ballots inside an Amazon package. While Secretary of State Shenna Bellows previously attributed delivery issues to UPS and subsequently transitioned ballot deliveries to a different courier, the specific circumstances surrounding the Newburgh delivery remain unresolved.