Maine voters faced a busy ballot on Tuesday in an off-year election dominated by a decision over whether to replace the state's two much-criticized private electric utilities. The proposal called for dismantling Central Maine Power and Versant Power, which distribute 97% of the state's electricity, and creating a nonprofit utility called Pine Tree Power to govern the grid. Supporters of the referendum argued that the existing utilities had poor performance, high electricity rates, and long response times to power outages, while opponents raised concerns about the potential for costly lawsuits and the politicization of the power grid.

The vote came amid intense criticism of Central Maine Power over its slow response to storm-related power outages, a botched billing system rollout, and perceived roadblocks to connecting renewable power projects to the grid. The owners of Central Maine Power and Versant Power have donated nearly $40 million to fight the takeover attempt, vastly outpacing the $1.2 million raised by supporters of the proposed utility takeover.

Maine voters also approved a referendum to ban foreign government spending in local and state referendums. The referendum closed a loophole in federal election law that allowed a Canadian utility giant, Hydro Quebec, to spend millions of dollars to influence a cross-border hydropower transmission project in Maine. With the approval, Maine becomes the 10th state to ban foreign spending in state ballot initiatives.

In addition, voters decided to restore language about honoring obligations to Native American tribes to printed versions of the state constitution. The language, which had been removed in the 19th century, still applied but was not included in the printed constitution. Members of Maine's Native American tribes and others argued that the restoration of the language would make clear the state's obligations to Indigenous groups. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills had opposed the measure, citing concerns about potential lawsuits.

Maine voters also approved a "right to repair" initiative that would allow vehicle owners and independent repair shops access to on-board diagnostic systems in vehicles. This initiative follows a similar measure approved by Massachusetts voters in 2020.

Another referendum aimed at removing a requirement that petition gatherers for citizen's initiatives be Maine residents was rejected by voters. The rejection followed guidance from federal courts that out-of-state circulators must be allowed, and the amendment's rejection will have no practical effect.

Despite the lack of statewide offices on the ballot, the off-year election saw consistent participation, according to the secretary of state's office. The state's busy slate of referendums came a year before Maine will likely once again emerge as a battleground for a congressional seat and a presidential electoral vote in its more conservative 2nd Congressional District.

Overall, the election demonstrated the active engagement of Maine voters in shaping the future of their state, with decisions made on issues ranging from electric utilities and foreign spending in elections to honoring obligations to Native American tribes and the right to repair vehicles. The outcomes of these referendums will have significant implications for the state's energy industry, political landscape, and relations with Indigenous communities.