Early voting is now underway in Maine and goes until Thursday, Oct 29. There's even still time to register and receive a ballot to vote by mail. Don't put it off. Your municipal office will have a voter registration card for you to fill out in person.

Vote all the way down the ballot, then support your friends and neighbors in doing the same. The outcomes of this election — from local to federal — will have major impacts for immigrants and refugees.

• Absentee ballots must be requested by Thursday, Oct 29.
• Absentee ballots must be returned by 8 PM, Tuesday, Nov 3

Find answers to all your questions about registering and voting HERE.

Remember: To vote you must be a United States citizen, you must be registered in the community where you reside, and be at least 18 years of age. Trying to vote if you're not eligible is a serious crime.

Will ICE be at the polls? We don't know, but we should be prepared, as some candidates have called for this to happen. Don't go to the polls if you aren't eligible to vote. If you're eligible, the safest option is to VOTE EARLY!

What should I do if I suspect ICE or Border Patrol near a poll? Do not engage with them. Instead call our Hotline ASAP so we can notify the proper agencies: 207-544-9989. Save the number now as an emergency contact. You should also notify the Poll Warden while we send a trained volunteer to safely monitor the site.

How can I support immigrant neighbors during the election? There are a number of ways to help support immigrants on election day. For starters, donate time or money. Immigrant families who are not eligible to vote may be staying home surrounding the election, so volunteering with a local food bank can help ensure these families have food. You can find statewide food bank listings here. 

Don’t congregate at the polls. Free speech rights are different at polling locations. Plus crowds at polls may just create fear and deter people from voting. There are already trained poll watchers and reliable interpreters planning to be available. Let them do their jobs.

We'll soon be releasing a list of which languages will have interpreters at which polls. Keep an eye out for this.

We've collaborated with our friends at the ACLU in creating a series of resources on knowing your rights at the polls. Find them on our Instagram.

You can also volunteer with MIRC member groups like the Community Organizing Alliance who will be canvassing to engage with voters.

MIRC will be hosting a get-out-the-vote phone bank, details TBA.

The Lighthouse Hotline Turns One!

Last year on October 23, MIRC and partners launched the statewide Immigrant Defense Hotline & Resource Hub that evolved into LighthouseME.

Between operators and verifiers, we've trained thousands of Mainers to stand up for themselves and their neighbors by monitoring and mapping immigration enforcement, and we continue to train more. The next training for new operators is October 27 at 5pm. Sign up by creating an account here.

For those already trained as Hotline volunteers, join us on October 30 at noon to plug in on election related volunteer opportunities. (All trained operators should have that invitation on your calendar already. Let us know if you don’t see it.)

And last, get a sneak peak HERE of a short film called Hotline, which premiered at the Maine Immigration Forum last month. We have some bigger plans for it coming soon.

MIRC Receives Two Major Awards

On October 1, MIRC and three member organizations were honored with the Gerda Haas Award by the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine. We made a short video of that powerful award ceremony. Check it out on Facebook, YouTube, Bluesky, or LinkedIn.

Earlier this week, MIRC was also given the Agency of the Year Award by the National Association of Social Workers - Maine Chapter. You can see photos and videos from that event as well on our social media. 

Updates on Our Biddeford Policy Demands

October 13 marked three months since the senseless killing of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford. His killer remains free and details of the state’s investigation remain vague, but our movement calling for justice and abolition has grown steadily and made significant strides.

Just this week, the Biddeford City Council responded to community demands with unanimous approval for an ordinance establishing restrictions on municipal involvement in federal immigration enforcement.

Last month Congresswoman Pingree responded to constituents' requests that she co-sponsor the Melt ICE Act, and we’re grateful for that. But the bill will need more support to advance.

Call on other members of Congress to support the bill.

Medicare Open Enrollment Assistance

Medicare Open Enrollment opened on October 15 and continues till December 7. Our friends at AgeMaine are offering Medicare counseling to older individuals in our communities again this year. In general, people with citizenship or at least 5 years of US residence and a green card are eligible for Medicare.

AgeMaine notes that it’s important for people with Medicare to review their plan each year during Open Enrollment, even if they don’t think they need to make any changes. Sometimes plans change from year to year and people can be surprised in January with higher premiums or different coverage.

A couple of big changes to note this year: Prescription drug plan prices are expected to increase more than normal, and one of the most popular Medicare Advantage Plans will be leaving the InterMed network so those patients will need to choose new doctors or a new plan.

Get details at agemaine.org

Thank You for Rocking With Us, Reverb!

All summer long, MIRC members partnered with Reverb at two dozen great Thompson’s Point concerts. We reached out to thousands of concert-goers, getting them resources — including hundreds of our Hotline stickers and newsletters — and inviting them into our MIRC universe as supporters, donors and volunteers.

We loved getting to team up with Reverb and Sebago Clean Waters to educate people, about both immigrant rights and environmental protection, and hope to do more in the future.

And a special thanks to all the MIRC members who volunteered their time to staff our table at the Point. Get a glimpse of the magic.

Take the MIRC Comms Survey

We're asking our members, partners and supporters to complete this survey to help improve our communication tools we use to engage with our members and the public.

Fill out the survey here.

(Note: We previously sent a broken link for this. If you tried to respond before, we probably didn't get it. Please do so again!)

Congrats to Maine Soccer Development: #1

In their first season of semi-pro soccer with UPSL Division 1, the Maine Soccer Development team rose to first place in the league. Join them to celebrate at their final home game, where they will be competing in the semi final match on October 31, 3pm at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

Congratulations to all the players, and to coaches Albert Rwabira and Emmanuel Sungubele (a former interim director at MIRC.)

Find details for the game HERE.

Meeting at MOFGA’s Common Ground Fair

In September we attended the 50th Common Ground Fair. Over the weekend, we engaged with many people at our table in the Social/Political Action Tent at the longstanding Waldo County event. Over 60K people come from across the Northeast region, with record-breaking numbers reported. 

We also hosted a well-attended panel discussion featuring speakers from immigrant-led food and farm projects in Maine.

Member Spotlight: Disability Rights Maine

Our member Disability Rights Maine (DRM) acts to change Maine’s schools, workplaces, businesses and public spaces — including election polls — to ensure that people with disabilities are empowered in their choices.

DRM has been around since 1977 as a non-profit organization advancing justice and equality by enforcing rights and expanding opportunities for people with disabilities in Maine. They conduct investigations into allegations of abuse and neglect, and bring lawsuits on behalf of people with disabilities.

In the coming weeks DRM will be focusing attention on protecting the disability vote. All aspects of the voting process must be accessible to people with disabilities under state and federal law. 

Their message for the moment we're in: "Maine has one of the highest voter turnout rates in the country. To keep it this way, it’s critical that eligible individuals feel empowered to cast their ballots."

If you witness or experience accessibility problems at the polls, call them at (800) 452-1948. Learn more about DRM.

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Thank you for supporting MIRC and our members.

Mufalo Chitam

MIRC Executive Director

P.S. If you are able to make a donation to sustain our work in this critical time, we welcome it and thank you immensely.