State Rep. Nina Milliken, D-Blue Hill, has notified Hancock County, its sheriff, and a detective of a civil rights complaint, alleging they violated her constitutional rights by pursuing a retaliatory criminal charge against her over a rarely enforced campaigning law.
The case traces back to April 2025, when Milliken visited a polling place to support a friend running a write-in campaign for a local select board seat. Milliken says she was careful to comply with Maine election law — greeting voters and mentioning her friendship, but not naming the office her friend was running for or asking anyone to vote for her. Hancock County Sheriff Scott Kane nonetheless assigned a detective to investigate after receiving complaints, and a local prosecutor charged Milliken in September 2025.
The case was dismissed about a month later by the district attorney overseeing it, who cited new evidence — including text messages Milliken had sent the Secretary of State's office shortly after leaving the polls, asking to confirm her conduct was legal. Milliken's attorneys at Johnson, Webbert & Beard, LLP say she may be the first person ever charged under the decades-old law.
Milliken, a vocal critic of law enforcement in her legislative role, has said she believes the prosecution was politically motivated. "Being charged with a crime I knew I had not committed was one of the most difficult and terrifying experiences of my life," she said in a statement. "I barely slept and lived in constant fear that someone would harm me or my family after my face was suddenly everywhere in the news."
The notice of claim is a required precursor to a potential civil lawsuit against the county and the officials involved.
Read the full Bangor Daily News article here. Read the full WABI article here. Read the full Ellsworth American article here.