Printer Error Left House Candidate off Oxford-Area Ballots

A packaging mistake at a ballot printer left Republican Ernie Fitts's name off some ballots distributed in Oxford for the November 2026 election, the Maine Department of the Secretary of State said, according to the Portland Press Herald.

A voter alerted the Oxford town clerk on October 6 after getting a ballot with the wrong style, said Jana Spaulding, deputy secretary of state for communications. A relative of Fitts flagged the omission publicly on social media.

Spaulding said on the afternoon of October 7 that the clerk had traced the problem to how the ballots were packaged at the printer, that only a small number went out, and that the town was working to reach anyone who may have gotten one. Replacement ballots will be provided, and "every voter will have the chance to vote the correct ballot," she said.

Officials said the problem appeared to be confined to House District 80, which covers Otisfield, Oxford, Hebron and Buckfield. Fitts is running against Azalea Cormier, who is unenrolled. No Democrat filed for the seat.

This story was first reported by Portland Press Herald - Maine Sunday Telegram.