FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2026
Contact: Ruben Torres, Director of Advocacy & Policy, rtorres@maineimmigrantrights.org
PORTLAND, ME - The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (MIRC) and our members thank everyone who participated in this year’s midterm elections and helped their neighbors make their voices heard.
Our communities entered Election Day already living with the fear of ICE enforcement, compounded by concerns that agents would also be present at the polls. While that anticipated presence at polling locations did not materialize, the fear Maine families have felt is real. Despite this, what we saw on Election Day was Mainers’ determination to participate, support one another, and have a say in the decisions that shape their lives.
For some, this was their first time casting a ballot, an occasion worth celebrating and, we hope, the beginning of a lifetime of civic participation. To everyone who ran for office, thank you for stepping forward to serve your community. And to the organizers, interpreters, volunteers, and neighbors who helped others participate, thank you for making that participation possible.
MIRC was proud to work alongside the League of Women Voters, ACLU of Maine, Disability Rights Maine, and Community Organizing Alliance (COA) to make interpreters available to voters who needed language support at polling locations across Greater Portland and Lewiston–Auburn. We also partnered with White Men for Racial Justice, Khmer Maine, and COA to help voters who needed transportation get to the polls. This work reflects our commitment to ensuring that language and transportation barriers do not stand between eligible voters and their right to participate. There is room in this moment to take a breath and find encouragement in what our communities made possible together. We know, too, that the safety and stability families need will take sustained work beyond Election Day. Our advocacy continues, informed by the experiences of our members and grounded in the dignity, rights, and well-being of Maine’s immigrant communities.
To newly elected and returning officials: congratulations. Serving your constituents is both an honor and a responsibility. We look forward to working with you in the coming legislative sessions and invite you to meet with MIRC and our members to learn more about the immigrant communities you represent, their priorities, and the impacts of immigration enforcement on their daily lives.
We are grateful to everyone who helped our communities meet this moment with courage and care. That same commitment to one another will guide the work ahead.
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High-level Election Results
- 22 interpreters across 11 polls in Portland, South Portland, Westbrook, Lewiston, and Auburn
- 158 households called to ask about their voting plans
- Voter Turnout Numbers in Maine: Projected higher than 2022 Midterm
- Projected Maine House results: Democrats retain control
- Projected Maine Senate results: Democrats retain control
- CD 1 results: Pingree defeated Russel
- CD 2 results: LePage defeated Dunlap
- Senate result: Jackson beat Collins
- City of Portland results:
- District 4 Winner: Anna Bullet
- District 5 Winner: Ilma Lopez
- At-Large Winner: Kate Snyder
- School Board At-Large Winner: Lucia Rico
- Cumberland County Commission District 5 Winner: Marpheen Chann