Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is warning Mainers to be vigilant when viewing voting information online. This includes raising awareness of private sites that may give the false impression – by name, URL, and/or design – that it is an official election website. 

“It is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish what is real and what isn’t online,” said Secretary Bellows, in a Sept. 25 news release. “AI and other automated tools help partisan operatives or cybercriminals create websites that look official even when they’re not. While some non-governmental sites about voting present accurate information, many do not.” 

Many sites are designed to encourage citizens to register to vote and may in fact redirect visitors to official sites, according to the Secretary of State's Office. However, many sites may require visitors to enter their personal information before they are redirected. Official state addresses will include .gov. For example, Mainers can register to vote at https://www.maine.gov/vote or find official election information by visiting the Secretary of State’s website at https://www.maine.gov/sos. 

“If you don’t see .gov in the web address, it is not an official state government website,” said Secretary Bellows. “If you are being asked to enter personal information like name and email address before you get to an official .gov link, then someone else is getting your private data. Instead of giving out private information to sites that might try to scam you or steal your data, go straight to the source at maine.gov/vote.”   

Secretary Bellows also encourages voters to be careful when viewing election information on social media and always research and vet the information that they read. 

“There is unfortunately so much misinformation and disinformation out there, it can be overwhelming and difficult to know what’s true and what’s not,” said Secretary Bellows. “Everyone can play a part in reducing anxiety about the upcoming election by going to official sources and not sharing or posting unvetted and potentially false content. We have had safe, free, and secure elections in Maine for over 200 years, and we expect the same this November.”