Secretary of State warns of misleading websites

Bellows urges voters to look for .gov websites for official voter information

Sept. 30, 2026

By Staff

Image by Unsplash.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is urging Mainers to be vigilant when viewing voting information online and says some non-governmental websites “may give the false impression – by name, URL, and/or design – that it is an official election website,” her office said in a press release.

“It is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish what is real and what isn’t online,” Bellows said. “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.”

According to the release, many sites are designed to encourage citizens to register to vote and may in fact redirect visitors to official sites.

“However, many sites may require visitors to enter their personal information before they are redirected,” the release warns.

Bellows did not offer any examples of fraudulent or misleading websites.

Official state website addresses will include .gov. 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,” Bellows said. “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.”

Bellows also encouraged voters to be careful when viewing election information on social media and to always research and vet the information 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,” Bellows said. “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.”